Sometimes, I muse that humans thought they were being so clever when they were making electric cars, but what happens when the power goes out? What happens when those power generators go out with no one around to keep them running?
Those electric vehicles become as useless as gasoline vehicles when no one is left to pump oil from the ground. What they should have been working on was truly clean energy, like those damn wind turbines thatstillfunction and electrify some areas of the world. Needless to say, there are monsters in those areas.
I look at Rainer to gauge his pain level. He’s beginning to limp a little, but he’s doing well at hiding it. We can walk a while longer.
My eyes drop to the lut at his side, and I smile with amusement. “Lut” is what we’ve come to call the hybrid beasts who somehow manage to spawn with the animals native to Earth. They tend to be somewhat smaller in size compared to the massive beasts, but sometimes they’re just as deadly.
This lut, the one Rainer named Kaida, is probably far deadlier than she appears, but the problem with animals like this is that they’re likely born as one-of-a-kind. Therefore, they don’t have a lot of role models to teach them what they’re capable of.
Kaida shows signs that she can likely fly. I’ve seen her hover in the air when she jumps, as if she’s defying gravity and waiting for the magic within her to expand. She also has feathers, whichdoesn’t necessarily mean she can fly, but it lends to the idea that she has avian genetics mixed in there somewhere.
I bet there are other hidden secrets that Kaida doesn’t know she holds.
“Stop here for the night?” Notto suggests as we’re coming upon what used to be a suburban neighborhood.
Rainer looks around and shrugs. It’s as good a spot as any.
“Why here?” Drystan asks.
“There’s a settlement close by, and we can check out what they have for food,” Notto says. “If they have nothing we want, there’s also a river just beyond where we can fish.”
Rainer shrugs again.
We wander down the street of the cul-de-sac. I’ll never get over how eerie places like this look. Once, they were filled with life—car pollution, music blaring from windows, kids riding bikes, laughter, the splash of people in pools, perfectly manicured lawns uniform in design, each cul-de-sac exactly like the neighborhood next door.
Doors now rock on their hinges, pushed by an invisible breeze. The grass is wildly overgrown and uneven. There are trees growing out of windows, through roofs, and on top of cars. Nature is swallowing it whole.
Animals have claimed this place as theirs. I see the tracks of small prey and the larger predators that hunt them. I’m sure there was eyeshine coming from the top window of one of the houses we passed.
Kaida’s nose lifts into the air as she takes notes of what animals take up the area. She’ll let us know that something is near before we hear it. She likely would have known about the flying beastdaysbefore it came down on us.
“This one looks good,” Drystan says as he veers from the middle of the street. This house seems to be made of trees. It’s becoming its own forest, yet somehow, I think those trees areadding structural support to the house. It appears more solid than any other we’ve passed thus far.
We follow Drystan to the back, and I have to admit, the place looks enchanted. There’s a hollow within the trees where the pool is. Nature has created its own little ecosystem within the pool, which is kind of awesome. The deep end has maybe a couple feet of water at its deepest. There are water lilies and flowers floating along the top. Also reeds, I think, though I’m not sure that’s what they are since the climate isn’t exactly right for them.
There’s dark, fertile dirt supporting tall grasses and a mossy floor. Small mammal and duck tracks can be seen from where we stand at the top looking in. There’s rustling in the brush. Quiet chirps and noises.
“When I see places like this, I can’t help but think the world is better this way,” Drystan says.
We turn to look at him. He’s staring up at the house. The trees have taken root all over, but there are pockets of clear area. One of the trees has long, tendril-like branches that are in bloom right now. As they move, it fills the air with a soft floral scent.
There are birds singing and bees peacefully dipping into flowers. I think I even hear a wind chime. As if nature itself enjoys its songs, it’s somehow still hanging in place so it can continue to sing.
Notto tugs on Drystan’s arm. “We’re going to see if we can get some food,” he says. “You can set up camp.”
I nod. Both drop their bags and disappear around the side of the house again.
“He might be right,” Rainer says. His fingers are buried in the feathers of Kaida’s neck as she leans against his side. His weight is heavily against Kaida, favoring the injured leg.
Maybe we’ll find a reason to stay here for an extra day, then adjust our trajectory north so we can stop at Base 6 and visit a nephilim to heal him before the rest of the way.
“It’s strangely beautiful,” Rainer says when I don’t answer. “Peaceful.”
I nod absently. I prefer a tropical beach with a whole lot of unfiltered sun. “It’s nice.” He gives me a dubious look, so I flash him a grin. “It’s one of the best places we’ve been,” I concede.
He goes about collecting branches for a fire. Kaida trails him, her nose never stopping its inspection of the area. She’s relaxed enough, so I don’t think there’s anything we need to worry about.
Leaving them to the fire, I pick my way through the trees tightly clinging to the side of the house. There’s a back entrance that had once been double doors, though I don’t see the doors anywhere now. Inside, moss and creeping vines cover the floor for several feet before giving way to the tile.
