Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Fantasy

The diluted light of the electrical lamps outside dimly illuminated dusty bookshelves and the worn pages of books which had been read over and over. The aisles were filled with pockets of darkness where the light couldn't penetrate.

The dull light which poured in through the windows revealed traces of something darker smeared across shelves and drying into the carpet. Some books were scattered across the floor further in, a few chairs lay upturned in chaotic disarray.

The sign outside said this was a library, he hasn't been in one for years. Now he was sat surrounded by work written by authors he had not heard of. He had emptied a metal plant pot and filled it with shredded pages, using it as a makeshift fire pit. A metal leg from one of the chairs stuck out of it.

Every so often he would toss a whole book in there to keep it going while he read. His eyes were scanning over the pages of a geography book, committing every map and city name to memory. He was leaning back in a chair with his feet up on a table, shredded flesh and a bottle of vodka right beside them.

A pair of decimated, uniformed bodies lay on the ground nearby in a large pool of blood. The security in this place was terrible, they had no idea what they were in for when they came to investigate what was burning. He took a bite of the meat in his hand and turned the page, leaving a red smear on it.

This was getting boring, he had been at it most of the night. After taking care of the guards he had heated the metal bar and used it to cauterise the wound on his leg. Even now it hurt, but at least it had finally stopped bleeding. The rest of the night he had been eating, drinking and reading, getting a good idea of the lay of the land.

The history books had proved rather entertaining; it was incredible how much of the past they had made incorrect assumptions about. Needless to say those books became fuel for the fire as soon as he had finished with them. Nobody needed to read such inaccurate nonsense.

One interesting fact he had found out was that if he kept heading south, he would reach the capital in a matter of days. A deathly quiet voice whispered in the back of his mind, suggesting he would find what he was searching for there.

To be honest, he had only been heading south because he felt a faint pull in that direction. He couldn't explain it but this was not the first time he had experienced this sensation. He remembered it vaguely, almost like a dream.

He had felt it the last time he had found her, right before she slipped through his fingers and vanishes from the radar once more. He sighed, this time it had to be different. He had orders from the top to find her; failure was no longer an option if he liked his skin where it was. It was just a shame this sensation wouldn't lead him straight to her, it only pulled him to her general whereabouts.

He wanted to rest here a day, but he knew more people would come not long after daybreak; he had watched them leave earlier in the night. It didn't matter, he may as well start heading south and heal along the way. He would have more time to search if he started travelling tonight.

The bloodstained rag around his wound would do until the scorched hole healed; he was glad it had just been a deep laceration. Peering out of a nearby window he saw the sky getting marginally lighter. Dawn wasn't far off, now was as good a time as any to make a move.

He stood and stretched. It was fortunate that this place had high ceilings, should they have been any lower he would have had to stoop to fit in the room. Casually he stepped over the bodies and made his way out of the building through the broken back doors, leaving the fire burning behind him.

His destination was set, he was going to head towards the capital and see what he could find there. Even now he was mentally preparing for the hell  the noise, pollution and bright lights would wreak on his senses. A small price to pay for what he was after.

He scaled a nearby building and continued his journey across the rooftops, determined to be out of the city by daybreak. Not long now; he could feel he was going to succeed in finding what he was looking for.