Strange World chapter 1

Chapter 1

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of footsteps echoed off of the old road. Darkness blanketed the city. It was an old abandoned city. After all the wars, hardly anyone still lived, survived this dead world. Except...

Tap. Tap. Tap.

My strange cat-like ears picked up the sound. I pulled my knees to my face, trying to make myself smaller. You never know what is out there. It could be a person or... *shudders* a monster...

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Glowing eyes search the darkness where I hide. A boy stands in front of me, one horn on the side of his head, and those... glowing eyes...

"I can see you hiding there...," The boy sniffed, then held out a pale, skinny arm, a hand, for me? I cocked my head to one side.

The boy smirked a bit at my response, "Ha, ha. No, I don't bite. I promise." He walked a step closer, wiggling the outstretched hand to me.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, then opening them and taking that hand...

That hand...

The boy pulled me up onto my skinny, skinny legs. I wobbled and used the hand as a hold so I wouldn't fall over.

"You hungry? I have an apple...," He reached into his bag on his back and pulled out an apple for me, "Here you go."

I stared greedily at the plump red apple in my dirty hand, then quickly bit into it and savoring the delicious flavor.

The boy watched patiently as I finished the apple within three bites, "You were hungry." He smiled down at me warmly.

I couldn't help but smile back at him. He was just so handsome, so kind...

Kind...

That's a word I haven't heard or used in so long. I was relieved to have found someone in this lonely world.

But, of course, there was always that small worry about him not being real. It all could be part of some strange, sick illusion in my mind. But...

His hand... The apple... It all felt so real, so good, so warm...

"I have more food at my hideout... If you want to come?" He said, black hair with red tips shining in the moonlight.

I looked up at him, a small spark of hope kindling in my heart, I nodded. Even if this is a dream or an illusion...

I want to treasure it as long as I could. And if somehow this was true... Then I guess fairytales are real.

We started walking, my hand still in his.

"My name is Katsumi, what's your name?" He turned to me, his strange gold eyes that seemed to glow in the dark boring into me.

My name...

I can't remember... What was my name?

I stared blankly at him and shrugged.

"You don't have a name?" He frowned sadly, then thought for a moment.

Snapping his fingers, Katsumi smiled brightly, "I know... I'll call you... Hana. Sound good to you?"

Hana?

I nodded up to him, smiling softly, Hana is a good name.

He patted my head gently, "Hana it is then."

Katsumi... He seemed nice. His clothes looked fairly new, not old and ratty like mine... Had he found an old store?

Katsumi was tall, my head barely at his shoulder. He wore a plain red t-shirt that was too small for him and revealed his toned six-pack with a large black hoodie over the shirt. Tall brown boots adorned his feet, black fingerless gloves on his hands. On his lightly tanned neck was a small dark green scarf. Tattoos swirled over the small amount of skin that wasn't covered. His face, longish with a nose that was dog like. His hair spiked in almost every direction, black with red tips. A red horn, small and curved, sat on the one side of his head, like he was missing the other one. And his eyes... Gold with green specks throughout it. His hands were long and slender. He wore black skinny jeans and on the belt hung a pistol.

Me on the other hand... I was short. My orange red hair, thick and short, was in need of a good washing. My cat ears perched on the top of my head, twitching ever so slightly to catch Katsumi's every word. My eyes, crystal blue, looking intently up at the boy who had probably saved my life. A too large, long sleeved dark red turtle-necked sweater covered my many scars, some self-inflicted, others from fighting for my life. Bracelets covered the sleeves of my sweater. Purple skinny jeans hugged my legs, small black ankle boots on my tiny feet. My face barely peaked out of the sweater's turtle-neck. My skin was pale from lack of sunlight, I found it was better to travel at night, then during the day. Katsumi's hand engulfed mine, I blushed lightly as I looked up at him. My only weapon was an old rusty knife I found in an empty house.

We walked down the street, silently, the moon full and bright over our heads.

"We should be there soon, Hana," Katsumi smiled at me with his perfect white, glowing teeth.

Good... I was tired from all this walking and very hungry... I was too skinny from not being able to find any food for what seemed like weeks. When Katsumi found me, I was on my last leg. I could feel my knees buckle underneath me as I feel to the ground.

"Hana!" Katsumi put my tiny face in his hands, looking at my eyes, "Hey, stay with me, Hana. Come on, I'll carry you." I felt his strong hands left me up and his warm body against me.

I snuggled up to his body and let out a sigh, feeling my eyes grow heavy. His heavy breathing, he had started to run, trying desperately to get to this hideout of his.

"Hana, we're almost there. Stay awake, please, Hana," Katsumi's pleas grew hazy in my ears as I shut my eyes.