As I climbed higher, the fog thinned, exposing the skeletal remains of the city. Poison and chaos retreated, leaving behind only a hollow, oppressive silence, where the frantic pulse of life had been snuffed out, replaced by the occasional drip of condensation from rusting beams overhead.
Darkness enveloped the scene, save for the jittery glow of malfunctioning lights sputtering overhead, casting jagged shadows that moved when I didn’t. This wasn't refuge, it was the husk of a forgotten world. The threats felt distant now, muffled by the eerie quiet.
Then, a low thumping cut through the silence, faint like a distant heartbeat that didn’t belong. It gnawed at the edge of my awareness. I slowed, letting it pull me deeper, each step syncing with the sound. The soft whirr of failing tech buzzed around me like a dying insect.
I rounded a corner, and there it was: a crater that shouldn't have existed, as if the city itself had been devoured by some giant beast. Twisted girders jabbed up like broken ribs. Sparks danced in the gloom. A faint mechanical whine floated up from the dark, long and mournful, the ghost of destruction still lingering.
Something moved in the rubble, shadowy figures flitting between jagged concrete and sparks of exposed wires. I leaned over the edge just as a sharp white flare knifed through the fog. Burned an afterimage onto my retinas. Gone just as fast.
I hesitated, but the thumping got worse, echoing in my skull, syncing with my pulse. Something was wrong. My fists clenched as I tried to push through the noise, but it burrowed deeper into my mind, relentless.
“Arvie, you picking this up?”
A pause, then her voice, tinged with concern. “Hold on... scanning.”
The thumping intensified, consuming every thought, until, suddenly, it stopped. The silence was deafening.
“It wasn’t real,” Arvie’s voice broke through, uneasy. “You were picking up a distress beacon, but your interface is busted. It twisted the signal into, whatever that was.”
I blinked. “Was it all in my head?”
“Pretty much. Your Neurolink’s busted, it was feeding you scrambled signals. Lucky it didn’t fry your brain.”
I rubbed my temples, trying to shake off the lingering headache. “So, what’s this interface even supposed to do?”
“It connects you to external signals, comms, data feeds, distant calls, the works. But with it damaged, things got... weird.”
“Great,” I muttered. “One more thing to worry about.”
Arvie’s voice was lighter now, playful. “At least now we know it’s a distress beacon. Could be someone in trouble, or a trap.”
“Wait, why can I still hear you?” I asked, confused.
“Because, darling, I’m in your head,” she replied with a touch of sarcasm. “No malfunctioning Neurolink’s going to shut me up.”
Embarrassment warmed my cheeks. Of course, she was right. I cleared my throat and looked around. The oppressive thumping had faded, replaced by an eerie calm that felt almost too quiet.
That’s when I saw it. Half-buried under slag and bones, an old reinforced door. Scarred deep, as if someone had tried very hard to open it the wrong way.
“Let’s hope it’s not a trap,” I asked, stepping closer.
“Maybe they left us a gift,” Arvie replied. “Could be good, could be bad. I’m betting on good.”
I interfaced with the door. Took a few tries, scrambled code and half-dead sensors, but Arvie walked me through it with sarcastic precision.
The door groaned open, and I stepped into the bunker. A wave of stale air hit me, metallic and dank. I sealed the door behind, shutting out the toxic world.
Emergency lights flickered to life, casting yellow haloes down narrow corridors. The hum of machinery was the only sound, a mechanical lullaby in the stillness. Somewhere, water dripped in a rhythm too close to that earlier thump for comfort.
In a storage room, I found sparse supplies, medical kits, rations, water bottles. Not much, but it’d do. Deeper still, I stumbled upon a small dormitory, the disarray of blankets hinting at recent chaos.
Here I wasn’t alone any more, two figures huddled over a battered table, supplies and tools scattered. Their heads jerked up, startled.
“Who’s there?” The grizzled man stepped forward, weapon in hand, his eyes a wary mix of suspicion and hope. His companion, a younger woman, sat rigid, clutching a first-aid kit.
I raised my hands. “Not a threat. Just need food and shelter.” My rasping voice sounded strange to my own ears.
They traded a glance. The weapon lowered slightly. “Fine. We’re running low, but there’s still a bit to share. Just keep the peace.”
“Trust me,” I muttered, “I’m too tired to cause trouble.”
I sat, exhaustion heavy on my bones. They handed me a can of preserved food and water. The protein tasted like nothing, but I didn’t care.
The man introduced himself as Jaraek, the woman as Reya. They explained they’d been stuck here since the city fell, trapped in this bunker beneath the ruins. “We couldn’t leave, not with the poison in the air and whatever else prowls beyond.”
The silence hung heavy, broken only by the weary hum of ancient ventilation. Feeling their curious gaze, I looked up from my meal. “Wish I could tell you my name, but... I don’t remember. Woke up with no memories. It’s all blank.”
They exchanged a surprised glance. Then Arvie chirped, voice silk-wrapped mischief. “A mysterious amnesiac with a knack for surviving the impossible. I like it. Makes for a good story, don’t you think? How about we call you ‘Echo’? Has a nice ring.”
A rough laugh clawed its way out of my throat, ending in a ragged cough. “Echo, huh? That’ll do... for now.”
Jaraek raised an eyebrow. Reya, though, gave a small, understanding smile, something warmer than I’d expected. “Echo it is, then,” she said. “Until you remember more.”
“Seems I’ve got some resistance to the poison,” I said to avoid another silence. “I can go out, scout around, see if there’s a safer place to hole up. Maybe find more survivors. But first, I need a rest. It’s been a rough journey.”
Jaraek leaned in, eyes sharp as blades in the dim light. “You can withstand the poison out there? That’s Nether-touched, but you’re not one of the ghouls.”
The word snagged my attention. “Ghouls? What are they?”I asked, then sighed. "Look, I'm a blank slate here. You have to fill in the details."
Jaraek’s face darkened. “People twisted by the Nether, the cursed jungle beyond the city’s walls. The miasma there corrupts everything, warps it, plants, beasts, people. They adapted, but they lost what made them... us. Sometimes when they drift too close to the city, they’re taken, put to work in the mines, where the air is just as cruel. They survive where no one else can.”
Charming.
“Guess I’m something else, then,” I said, wiping my mouth. “Lucky me.”
Jaraek leaned forward. “If you could find us a safer place, well... that’d be something to hang our hopes on.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I replied. “Just need rest first.”
Reya’s hands shook slightly as she handed me another bottle of water, her fingers brushing mine for a moment. “We appreciate it, truly. We were... starting to lose hope.”
As I drank, Jaraek leaned in, voice low. “We don’t know what’s out there, but it’s nothing good. This bunker... it’s the last scrap of safety we’ve got.”
I nodded, the weight of responsibility settling in. They were decent folk, offering me shelter and food.
“You shall rest,” Jaraek said. “Tomorrow we figure out what comes next.”
I set the bottle down, feeling a spark of something new take hold. “Let’s see what’s out there, then. For now, I’ll rest and prepare.” We exchanged nods, a silent understanding settling between us. For the first time since I woke up in this shattered world, I wasn’t completely alone. I felt a flicker of hope.
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