My story starts simple enough. I wanted to get out of town, run away. You’d think that would be a straightforward process. However, when I tried to register for the caravan heading to Canton, they told me I was too young. Fair enough, because that’s probably true.
Canton is nearly 30 statute miles aways, or two days by caravan. Like any 17 year old, I figured sneaking aboard one of the shipping containers was a good idea. So I packed a few things, and a couple meals and did just that. It mostly involved sneaking past some sleepy guards in the factory district after dark. Our city cyrstal made that fairly safe. A safety I’ve had my entire life. After a few hours, I felt my container lifted up and loaded on a hauler. I was terrified, exhilarated, and somewhat sad. As much as I hated that town, I was going to miss my mother and brother. Just a few hours later, I heard the hum of the hauler’s engine come to life and the swaying motion that wheels make over rough ground. I laid out my sack of things like a pillow, and fell asleep in the pitch black.I heard a bang. I woke up with a start. Was that a dream? As my grogginess wore off and my adrenalin powered heart beat, I strained my ears to listen through the thudding in my ears. The engine of the hauler was idling. There was some shouting, I think. It sounded like a warning. Suddenly my entire world shifted sideways and it felt like my head was going to explode as the entire container reverberated like a bell.
I came to, my head was damp where it had bled. I think, something hit me. The world was sideways. Then I heard it, the sound of flesh dissolving into the air. That sick noise the moonlight makes as it takes it’s keep. With no cyrstal nearby, it would be suicide to leave the container. Not that I could leave the container. Apparently, I was pinned by something heavy. There was nothing to do but listen in fear as everything once living was exposed to the toxic moonlight and dissolved. At some point, I must have fallen asleep despite the noises outside because the blinding sunlight coming in the now open door jolted me awake. I think there was a woman there and her only words were, “Well, what do we have here?” Just me and some crates of milk … and my name is Michale. Continue to Chapter 1