Half-Breed

by Zachary Smith

  Chapter 4

  Falling through the darkness, I am nothing but thoughts; a mind, taken away from my physical body and thrown into a state of consciousness where no one can reach me. Am I home? It doesn’t feel like it. Maybe I’ve wandered outside. It wouldn’t be the first time mum or Matthew would’ve found me prowling through the garden in a trance like state.

  “SOON!”

  Once again that voice taunts me, sending a shiver directly to my core, enough to rip me right out of the darkness and heave me back into the real world, waking me. But I feel no tiredness, instead, my mind is focused, my body pumped and senses heightened; I feel energised.

  Thick black clouds swirl above me, like looking into a kaleidoscope, they twirl and weave within themselves, covering the sky in its entirety. I was right, I have wandered outside and now find myself lying on the pavement with small jagged stones prodding at my back. “Not again,” I mutter.

  Pushing myself from the ground, I notice I’m fully clothed, wearing what I had on yesterday. Which seems right as I don’t remember changing, but then again I don’t remember much else after I finished that sketch of the dark haired girl. Mum was right, maybe I should go to bed earlier.

  It’s cold, but bearable, considering it’s the middle of winter and should be far worse. A gust of wind then blows rustling the twiggy branches of a tree beside me, instantly chilling me amidst the darkened street I’ve awoken on. This place is not one I’m familiar with, and the only visible light is the few streetlamps that line the deserted road ahead of me. How have I made it this far with no other human interaction to wake me? Normally I make it as far as the garden before mum or Matthew catch up with me, having heard the front door slam or my heavy footsteps stumbling through the hallways.

  Moving before my eyes have had time to adjust to the dim lighting, I struggle to find my footing upon the cracked and uneven road, which would explain the lack of cars. But the destruction doesn’t stop there, it spread outwards like a virus has ravaged this once residential street, turning gardens into mounds of dirt and reducing houses to crumbling piles of rubble. And it’s the same the further I travel, houses left half standing or completely wiped out to nothing, until I reach a building that’s boarded up like the rest of them, only with writing across the wooden planks. Stepping closer to get a better look, I haul myself up onto the stone wall outside, only to realise it’s the Shellbourne Civic Centre, a government building, and written upon it are the words:

  ONLY HUMAN SOULS BURN.

  Taking off at the sight of it, I ignore the eerie feeling travelling down by spine, one so strong it makes my knees go weak. Powering through the numbness, I no longer care about treading carefully to avoid injury, I just want to put as much distance between me and the cryptic sign. What could it mean? Was it a warning, or maybe worse, a statement. The only thing I do know for sure is something terrible has happened here, the town I once knew is no more, Shellbourne has succumbed to some kind of disaster and not survived.

  Endless thoughts plague my mind, ones that I try to ignore, only for them to scream at me until I take notice. I awoke alone, dumped at the side of a road. Had I become a burden to my family, a dead weight only slowing them down in the chaos that had befallen upon this town? Surely not, they couldn’t do such a thing, but then why am I here alone?

  Panicked, I quicken my pace, running aimlessly through the streets of overturned cars and discarded furniture. Where am I running to? I have no idea, but my tired legs continue to move onwards, towards the unknown. Ahead I see an orange glow, shimmering out in the distance, accompanied by thick black smoke that rises into the sky. I arrive to metal gates, familiar, only dirtied and broken from their hinges. Above should be a sign telling me where I am, but I can see it’s been destroyed. Regardless, I know exactly where I am, Shellbourne gardens. What was once a beautiful, lush and green landscape, is now a barren wasteland of craters filled with charred timber, which still smoulder. I turn away, unable to look at the mess it’s become, and within seconds I’m off again, sprinting down another darkened street.

  It’s not long before I find myself outside what used to be my college. Now a shadow of its former self, it’s replaced with a shell of a building. Every window has been smashed, leaving only scorched frames in their place. The reception is no more, crushed by the roof that has given way and caved in, spewing broken bricks and glass across the car park. Ironically, only the broken clock tower has survived the mass destruction, standing tall with little damage. Sinking further into turmoil I want to laugh through my fear; how has this ugly clock tower survived out of everything? It’s like someone is playing a joke, purposely for me.

  Exhausted, I stop in my tracks. What am I to do? Keep going, holding on to that remaining ounce of hope I have left. I have no idea, I don’t even know if there’s anyone still left in this derelict ghost town. In a desperate attempt to find some comfort, I picture my family, but it doesn’t help, my thoughts are tainted. I can only see them running scared and ditching me. I don’t even know if they’re still alive, or if anyone is. Looking to the floor through blurred vision, a tear drops from my cheek and hits the ground, disturbing a pile of ash. Falling to my knees with a thud, I feel nothing, my body is unable to register anything further, like pain. Having nowhere else to go, I remain here on the ground, silence, in the middle of a wasteland I once called a home, defeated.

  I can’t say how long I remain frozen for, time is irrelevant to me now. It’s only when I hear footsteps cautiously walking through the deserted car park that my consciousness comes back. On my feet, before I have a chance to think, I turn to face a short guy, slowly walking my way. No older than myself, he’s naturally tanned with dark hair; someone I’ve never laid eyes upon before, which doesn’t seem to stop him proceeding any closer. “Who are you!?” I yell.

  He stops, standing directly in front of me, looking down at himself, then behind, as if he thought I was speaking to someone else.

  “I said who are you!?”

  He looks down at himself again. “You talking to me?” he asks.

  “Of course I am!” I answer, taking a sly step backwards.

  His presence feels odd to me like his body is sending out waves of emotions, mainly nervousness; a pulsating rush of butterflies turning and knotting my stomach. Made worse when I catch sight of his eyes, a horror I have to turn away from. They’re pure white, missing the pupils and irises.

  “You – you can see me?” he asks, somewhat perplexed.

  With another step back, I answer. “Yes.”

  I don’t know how he could possibly think I wouldn’t see him, his eyes alone are like shining beacons in the darkness. Had he suffered the same fate as me? Tossed aside at the first sign of danger, only to wake dazed and alone. It would explain his odd behaviour. “Where am I?” he frantically asks. “What is this place?”

  He fires his words at me, repeating the same questions over and over, blurting them out in quick succession to a point I can barely understand him. And in a selfish way, I become somewhat envious of him, wishing I too had no idea where we were, if only so I could be in the position to fire off questions in the hope someone will fill in all the gaps as to what has happened here.

  “Calm down,” I implore, edging myself toward him. “You’re in a town called Shellbourne, but something is very wrong here.”

  “You’re telling me, bro,” he shoots back with a forced laugh, and once again he returns to firing off more questions.

  If only he’d met the right brother, if only he’d met Matthew, captain of his rugby team, a natural born leader. He’d be able to figure out a plan, take this blabbering mess under his wing, not me. Right now I’d love nothing more than to hide away in my bedroom, under my duvet in the hope this will all go away, but I don’t even know if I have a home anymore, let alone a bedroom.

  “You live here?” he frantically asks.

  “I do – did – I don’t know anymore,” I reply.

  “Can I ask,�
�� I add, taking another step closer. “Why wouldn’t I be able to see you?”

  He stops abruptly, blinking his milky eyes. “Normally people don’t see me.”

  “They don’t?”

  He shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter, you wouldn’t understand.”

  But in an odd way I do, as I’ve lived my whole life going unnoticed by others, sometimes I even wonder whether any of my tutors even know my name… not that I’m complaining.

  Taking a seat on a half-broken wall outside the carpark, I offer the place beside me to the now semi-subdued out of towner. “I’m Mitchell Harper,” I begin. “And you?”

  He looks to the ground, watching his dangling feet, which I’m thankful for, as it means I don’t have to look him in the eyes. “I’m Tane,” he confirms. “Tane-James, but everyone just calls me TJ.” His words are still quick, but better pronounced revealing a slight accent, one I’ve never heard before.

  “This place,” he adds, looking up to the sky. “It feels weird; unnatural.”

  But before I have a chance to answer, a blood-curdling roar explodes from a distance, echoing through the open carpark, chilling me to the bone.

  Both flinching, we nearly fall from the wall. “What was that!?” TJ cries, leaping to the ground.

  The uproar was close, not more than a few roads over. Instantly I think of my mother and brother, and without warning I’m off, powering down the street, with TJ following closely behind. “Wait!” he cries. “Will you stop!”

  Mind clouded, I stop on the spot until TJ catches me. “What’re you thinking bro? Look around you!” he yells. “For all we know, the cause of this” – he waves his hands around frantically – “could be what’s just cried out! And you want to run to it!?”

  “I have to! My family could be there!”

  “Or no one could be.” He says hesitantly. “Think about it Mitchell, how many other people have you met tonight? Other than me.”

  “I’m sorry TJ, but I have to know.” That being said, I’m off again, already halfway down the street before I’ve even finished my sentence.

  “Dammit!” yells TJ. “Well, wait for me!”

  We pass the shopping district, all of which looks the same, buildings collapsed, front windows smashed and their furniture spilling out onto the streets. In the centre is the town square, the focal point for shoppers. It’s a wide open space, with cafés and pubs surrounding it. This is where Shellbourne would hold its town events, a food festival or a market, amidst the many walled flower beds. Normally they house a variety of different flowers, but tonight they are filled with burning embers. The flames, so bright, illuminate the square, revealing a crowd of people directly in the middle of it. From this distance, it’s hard to tell how many there are, but it has to be about thirty, maybe more. All of which are kneeling and facing away from us. Apart from four people that stand at the front facing them, two males one side and two females the other, all wearing white, in contrast to those kneeling who all wear black.

  “Who, or what are they?” whispers TJ.

  The more he questions the more I begin to wish I was alone, as I myself already have countless unanswered questions swirling around in this empty space I call a brain, to which he’s only adding to. “I’ve no idea,” I mumble.

  Holding back to the shadows, we remain out of view, all the while trying to get a better look so we can assess the situation. Once again, I can’t help but think Matthew would already have a plan of action put together, or maybe he’d have already swooped in and stopped whatever it is that’s about to happen. And TJ isn’t much help, having returned to his panicked state, he begins pacing back and forth muttering to himself about people who have fallen, or something like that.

  “Will you hush up, I can’t focus,” I mutter. “I’ll need to get closer.”

  Back at my side, he pulls me around to face him and stares at me with the shining torches he calls eyes. “Think about this bro. Those people do not look like they’re there of their own free will.”

  “You say we leave them?” I shoot back.

  “I say we think about this properly. Rather than just charge in.”

  I can understand him being reluctant to help, he has nothing invested in this place, so why would he risk his life for them. Again I feel the same envious feeling I had before, it would be so easy to walk away, but that’s something I could never do.

  “I’m sorry TJ, but I have to go.”

  He puts his head down. “Then you go alone.”

  Suddenly, another cry erupts from the crowd, filled with a fear that rips through my body and constricts my lungs, winding me. The four people dressed in white have each taken one corner of the crowd with their hands raised above their heads, and palms facing inwards. What they’re doing, I can’t be sure, but from the reaction of the crowd, it can’t be good. Knowing this could be my only chance for a closer look, I sprint to the nearest flower bed, in the hope, no one will see nor hear me through the commotion.

  It’s funny, as I never thought I’d be the type of person that would try and save the day, yet here I am running towards a flower bed – of all places – for cover. Of course, I’ve thought about turning back, that would be so much easier and safer, but my legs continue to power on. And with my eyes fixed on my destination, I’m able to block out my surroundings long enough to reach the flower bed, diving behind it.

  Uncertain whether I’ve been spotted, I remain still, panting and prepare myself for the worst. But the worse never comes, and the longer I wait uninterrupted, the more I’m filled with hope. So I inch my head around the corner, to check out the situation. The crowd is in a complete frenzy, people are running in all directions as the four dressed in white struggle to keep them in check, but somehow are able to keep them trapped within the centre.

  Then they’re silent, which leaves a ringing in my ears and an atmosphere of calm sweeps the square as everyone kneels back to the floor. To the distance, a large building erupts into flames, causing it to crave inward, and from it, a figure emerges. This new person, unharmed, walks briskly towards the centre, their body convulsing with each step like their limbs are stiff. Nearly upon them, I’m able to make out that it’s a guy, with dark hair, who also wears white. Turning to him in unison, the crowd stare up as he makes his way closer, before letting out another intense cry that feels as if it’s burst my eardrums.

  Harassed by an uneasy feeling, I can’t help but sense there’s something familiar about the dark haired guy and his presence. I’m sure I know him. If only I could get a little closer for a better look, but I’d surely be discovered.

  Resting my head against the wall, I struggle to think of my next move. If only Matthew was here, he’d know what to do. And with my vision beginning to blur, I slam my fist onto the ground. “Keep it together Mitchell,” I mutter through gritted teeth.

  The state of the people only seems to worsen the closer the dark haired guy descends upon them, unlike before, they begin to trample each other, pushing the weaker people to the ground in the chaos. Even the original four in white have difficulties keeping them in place, and some escape, running into the black of night. And before I know it, I’m sprinting towards them, covered by the unruly riot.

  Faces of unknown people pass me by, knocking me in their panic. I struggle to get further in, having to watch my step to avoid the unconscious bodies lining the ground. Bodies of all ages, and much more than I’d originally thought.

  One of the females in white crosses my path, moving at a speed I’ve never seen before, in pursuit of a limping older man. She pounces on him, knocking him to the ground and sends his body into spasm. I recoil at the sight of his eyes rolling back into his head as he uncontrollably shakes, but she doesn’t let up, she continues to hold him down.

  “Help us!” yells a young girl, pulling on my arm.

  Only for her to run screaming the second she see my face, right into the arms of a person in white, falling unconscious the second they grab her.


  Amidst the mayhem, I stand back watching as each person begins to drop, as I’m left unnoticed, until I feel another tug on my arm, this time, stronger. Expecting the worse, I’m pulled round by the culprit. It’s TJ, with a single teardrop falling from his white eyes and blood dripping from his nose. “Who did this to you!?” I cry, grabbing him by the shoulders.

  “Mitchell,” he murmurs. “This isn’t right.”

  Barely conscious, he sways back and forth until he stumbles to his knees, splattering some of the blood to the ground.

  Cowering beside him, I try to look at his face. “TJ, please,” I beg. “Who did this to you?”

  Letting out a painful cry, one that rivals that of the crowds, TJ succumbs to an unknown strain. “I shouldn’t be here.” He says faintly. “Neither of us should. They want me gone, they don’t want you to know.”

  “What do you mean?!” I frantically ask. “What can’t I know?”

  He grabs me and pulls me closer. “There’s no time. Trust no one. Think for yourself.” Then his body goes tense and fades away to nothing, disappearing right before my eyes.

  Remaining perched next to where his body once laid, it takes a moment for my mind to register what I’d just witnessed, even now I continue to hesitantly touch the ground where he should be. Was this the dark haired girl all over again? Someone I’d made up in my mind? But it felt so real, even now I can still feel his touch lingering on my arm, hear the sound of his voice with the accent I’d never heard before. Surely I couldn’t have imaged it all.

  “Fool.” A voice sniggers.

  Immediately to my feet, I come face to face with the dark haired guy. He doesn’t come at me, or attempt to harm me, instead, he stands tall, laughing to himself.

  Shrouded in an orange glow, I’m still unable to make out who he is. “What do you want?” I yell.

  But he remains silent, smirking at me with his white teeth that shine through the glow, exposing an evil grin, complete with deep set dimples. My dimples. He’s me. Like looking directly into a mirror, I find myself stood before my own reflection, only my actions are not repeated back to me.

  Flooded by fear, I stumble back and fall to the ground at the very sight of him. With his eyes turning pure white, matching TJ’s, he pushes the orange glow away from his body, growing it in intensity until it ignites into flames. I want to jump back to my feet, run and never look back, but the flicker of the flame burning brightly is mesmerising and holds me in place.

  With his movements more fluid than before, he creeps towards me and throws out his hands, bringing with them a burning inferno. The flames, moving as if they are alive, ferociously wrap around his arms, travelling down them until they spill onto the floor.

  Body rigid, I dig my heels into the ground, pushing with all my might as I desperately try to get away, kicking and thrashing like a fish out of the water. But the serpent-like blaze is too fast, dancing across the ground in twists and turns as it slithers ever closer. “Please, no!” I plead.

  But his face – my face – remains unfazed, blissfully smiling in silence as the trail of fire encases my body, blistering and searing my skin. Engulfed in an agony that washes over me, I accept my fate and surrender myself, begging for it to finish me off quickly. And with all hope gone, I lay amidst the blaze I have now become and take my last scorching breath to cry out in pain.