First draft
This is the first draft of a prologue I'm currently writing. It would be my very first, actual own book, not just a fanfiction. The genre would be dystopian (-thriller?)
Anyways, what do you say?
The sirens wailed.
The monsters would appear any minute.
"Hold onto me, Rory. Hold on!"
A peaceful night got ripped apart like a strand of fabric.
The little girl clutched her mother's hand as if it was the only thing keeping her from being trampled by the crowd. A crushing feeling of panic and pure terror threatened to drown her mind. Like wild animals, the masses over masses of screaming people hurried towards their only hope.
The Bunkers were the only thing keeping away the monsters. In there they would be safe. This was what her mother would always tell her.
The tall building was hovering over the broken city like a lighthouse of security. Its glowing windows providing safety and shelter for those who were worthy enough.
Most of people weren't.
The hysteria crawled between the many hearts of horrified women and men. Children cried, lost in the pool of cranked human beings, getting pushed and stumbled over.
The unbearable heat rose into the dusty night sky, now being lit by huge spotlights. The mix of cries, screams and bomb sirens turned into a traumatizing tune, blaring through the girl's ears.
Rory held onto her mother, trusting her to get them through this safely. She always did. The two unrecognized people separated from the mob of terrified people and made their way through a seemingly unimportant alleyway around the Bunker. They left behind all those desperate people, who were banging against the unbreakable metal doors, begging to be let in.
Nobody answered their calls.
The woman led her and her daughter through a maze of trashcans and empty carton boxes until they were standing in front of a dirty door, so unimpressive that it almost disappeared into the brick wall behind it.
She knocked three times, her fist making hollow sounds bouncing off the cracked alley walls. For a second nothing seemed to happen but after a moment of silence, footsteps approached. A small slit opened and two black beady eyes stared at them.
A raspy voice spoke. "Tot kto sprashivayet..." Her mother answered, her tone low. "Dolzhen byt' gotov otdat pervym' "
The one who asks, should be ready to give first. Rory understood those words. But she didn't know what they meant.
A grunt could be heard behind the door, then it suddenly swung open. Even though it looked rusty, it made no sound as it moved for the two women to enter.
"Quick, come on!" Her mother ushered as she pushed her through the entrance. Rory stumbled, but quickly caught herself before she could bump into the man in front of her. She couldn't quite make out his face, because the dark hall they were standing in was only lit by a weak red lightbulb.
His figure was tall and buff, as if he could snap a small neck like hers without breaking a sweat. But his black eyes glistered as if tears were sparkling. And Rory instantly saw the history behind their dark surface. War. Endless fights. Scars. He was a soldier.
"Slava bogu, Ivan" Ivan. That man was called Ivan. Her mother had closed the door behind her and the darkness thickened. The outside sounds died out as if they never existed. "Please, I need to talk to him" She had a desperate shadow in her voice. But the one thing that disturbed Rory was her language.
Her mother only spoke Russian when she wasn't supposed to listen or when something was unsettling her. If her mother was worried, something bad was about to happen.
"Sonja, you should not be here" Ivan finally spoke. His tone wasn't harsh or condescending. Just... sad. His grumpy voice reminded Rory of an old bear.
Unlike her mother, Ivan spoke English, even if every word sounded choppy as if it was difficult for him to talk. Sonja stepped forward and her fingertips touched the palm of her hand.
"I'm not here to seek shelter. Not anymore. Please. It's not about me. Eto dlya Rori" It was for Rory. Why was she speaking about her like she wasn't even there? "Mama, what is wrong?" The young girl took her mother's shaking hands. They felt so cold.
The woman looked at her as if she just remembered that she wasn't alone. Her pale lips turned into a sad smile. "Don't worry, moy lyubimyy. Everything will be alright" Her thumb softly brushed over her daughter's wrists.
Ivan carefully watched the little girl. "Are you really sure? Will she be able to-" "Rory is strong, I have no doubt", she cut him off.
Rory looked up at her mother, worry in her eyes. "Mama, what are you talking about?" She asked with a soft voice. Instead, Ivan answered. "Come with me." He turned and started to disappear deeper into the hallway, the darkness swallowing him.
Rory looked at her mother again, who gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Davay. He can help us. We will be safe"
We will be safe. That was her mantra. She'd always say that but with the time passing, Rory had the feeling that nothing would be safe. Not anymore.
They continued to follow Ivan through the dark tunnel, red lights popping up once in a while. The only sounds were the heavy footsteps of the man, otherwise there were no conversations. Rory thought the eerie walk would continue for ever, when they rounded the first corner since they had arrived.
She suddenly had to blink.
Blinding white lights rowed down another hallway, this time with doors and windows on each side of the walls, separated in regular distances. Everything was plain white, except for some stains on the ceiling, indicating that these rooms hadn't been renovated for a while. It looked almost like a hospital.
Rory had to squint. She turned around to look back at the darkness they came from. Something was off. The white lights stopped at an exact point somewhere in the distance. As if a wall was separating the two hallways in an unnatural way. Like an invisible line was saying "until here and not further."
Feeling a shudder forming down her spine, she turned away and looked back at Ivan.
With the blazing light now illuminating the room, she could get a clear picture of the tall man. He was wearing something that looked like army gear for retired soldiers. He looked grumpy with a hard face and scrubby beard.
But those eyes. Pearly black like shining beetles.
Ivan turned and opened one of the doors. "You can wait here, somebody will come and get you" He indicated for Sonja and her daughter to enter the room, which turned out to bee an old waiting room like they once used to be in doctor's offices.
Rory sat down on one of the plastic stools, observing the things around her. The walls were painted with drawings of rainbows and smiling suns. A bump in the wall showed where a bookshelf used to be.
It was unbearably quiet, the only sound coming from a clock on the wall. It showed the time being way after midnight.
She looked at her mother, who seemed to be trying to hide her nervousness. Her fingertips were brushing over the palm of her hand, like she always did when she was anxious. Rory didn't want her to be anxious.
She wanted to know what was going on. She hadn't forgotten the things outside. She wanted to know what her mother had planned.
As if she had heard her thoughts, the woman suddenly crouched down to meet her daughter's eyes. She took her little hands into hers as she sucked in a shaky breath.
"Aurora, I need you to listen really carefully now, okay?" Her full name. "This is important. There are dangerous things happening outside, you know that,"
Rory nodded. "and there are dangerous things yet to come." The woman's voice was heavy. "I won't always be there to protect you. This isn't the life I wanted you to have. You shouldn't live in fear of not making it to the next day. But these people," She gestured towards the door. "They can help you. They will be your safe place, do you understand?" Her accent was heavier than ever.
Rory didn't quite process. "Mama, what do you mean?" Her voice wanted to break, but she forced herself to keep up a strong face.
"These people are good, you hear me? They will protect you from this bad...bad things happening, okay?" Her mother whispered. "They will give you a home and a family. And you will meet new friends."
Rory shook her head. "What is happening, who are these people, what do they do?" She didn't want all those new people. All she wanted was her mother.
"Rory, please. I know that this must be hard for you. There are a lot of things I can't explain. But I need you to know, that I love you, no matter what." Tears started to trickle down her pale cheeks.
The door suddenly opened, revealing two men in the same uniform as Ivan. They stepped inside and approached Rory like she was some dangerous animal.
"Mama, what is going on?!" She started to cry too.
The men grabbed her arms. Not that it hurt, but their grips were firm. Her mother stood up, not doing anything to help her daughter. "It's for your own good. Ivan will care for you. Trust me, everything will be alright. You will be safe"
And those where the last words Aurora Callaway heard from her mother, when she got dragged away by those men.
Away from the woman she had trusted most. Towards her new life in the apocalypse. Seeing those gray eyes disappear behind the door for the last time.
Would anyone read this? Also, it's currently 1am, and I'm almost dying of sleep deprivation because of the last few days, so please tell me if there are any mistakes.
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