Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The First Step

The wasteland stretched before her, a grim and unforgiving landscape of fractured earth, charred remnants of a once-thriving world now ravaged by time and neglect. The air, thick with ash, hung heavy in her lungs, each breath burning like fire.

The sky above was a perpetual gray, smeared with smoke and dust, blocking out any trace of sunlight.

The ground beneath her feet felt as if it might swallow her whole with every step, a jarring reminder that survival here was a brutal game.

Arlen's boots crunched against the cracked earth, each step a labor, her body sore from the weight of her pack, her arms trembling under the strain. Her thoughts kept circling back to the same bitter truth: she had nothing of value to give. In the settlement, people sneered at her for being weak, for being a drain on the resources they barely had.

No one had ever said it to her face, but the judgment in their eyes told her everything she needed to know.

But that was all going to change. She had to make it change.

The whisper of wind rattled the remains of a crumbling overpass beside her. The sound of distant howls echoed, sending a chill through her, but she pressed on. Her destination was somewhere out there, beyond the ruins, beyond the wreckage, where the remnants of humanity clung to survival.

She didn't care how far she had to go. She was determined to find her purpose, to prove she wasn't just a burden.

The first creature appeared just as the sun dipped behind the ashen clouds. A grotesque form, with mottled skin stretched taut over bulging muscles, its limbs bent in unnatural angles. It sniffed the air, sensing her before she saw it-its glowing yellow eyes locking onto hers as it lurched forward, snarling. The monster's spiked tail whipped through the air, and Arlen instinctively recoiled.

She barely had time to draw her knife when it pounced.

Her heart slammed in her chest as she rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature's claws. The ground beneath her was jagged and unforgiving, but the moment's hesitation almost cost her everything.

She scrambled to her feet, trying to regain her balance as the beast circled her, its eyes gleaming with predatory hunger. Her mind raced, her breath ragged, but she couldn't move fast enough. The creature's jagged teeth gleamed in the dim light, saliva dripping from its maw. Her legs were already starting to tremble-her body not built for combat, not like the others in her settlement. Her throat went dry as she gripped the knife tighter.

I have to fight. I have to do this. I can't be weak anymore.

The beast lunged again, its claws aimed directly for her throat. Arlen slashed with her knife, but it was barely enough to keep the creature at bay. It was so much faster than she had imagined, so much stronger. Its claws scraped against her skin, tearing open a gash across her side. The pain made her gasp, and she staggered back, clutching at the wound as blood seeped between her fingers.

Her vision blurred with the shock of it, but she couldn't afford to fall. Not now. Not when this was the only chance to prove she wasn't a waste.

The creature stalked closer, its sharp claws scraping the ground, taunting her, preparing for the killing blow. Arlen's breath came in ragged bursts as she stumbled backward. She felt the weight of her pack pulling her down, her muscles screaming, her wounds already beginning to burn.

This wasn't just physical pain—it was something deeper, a suffocating realization that she had nothing to rely on but herself, and she couldn't do this.

You can't. You're weak. You always have been.

The voice in her head was cruel, relentless, a reflection of everything she feared. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the tears of frustration pool behind her lids. But then something snapped within her-something primal, something desperate.

Her hand clenched around the hilt of her knife as her arm shook violently.

No. Not this time. Not today.

With a raw scream, Arlen charged, her knife raised high. She closed her eyes and plunged the blade straight into the creature's side, the sickening sound of the steel cutting through its flesh reverberating through the air. The monster howled in pain, thrashing violently, its claws slashing through her chest as it tried to free itself from the knife embedded in its ribs.

Arlen's breath caught as the creature's claws tore into her-deep gouges across her shoulder and abdomen. She could feel the blood oozing from her wounds, but she couldn't stop now. Not when the monster was weakening, not when she had come this far. She twisted the knife, forcing the creature to stumble back, its roar weak now, its body shuddering as it collapsed.

But Arlen was too far gone to care.

Her body crashed to the ground with a sickening thud, her knife slipping from her hand as the adrenaline drained from her system. Blood poured from her wounds, staining the earth beneath her.

The air was thick with the metallic scent of it, and her breath was shallow, ragged. The world felt distant, blurry. The pain in her side and shoulder was unbearable, but she forced herself to sit up, her vision swimming.

The creature's body lay still, and for a moment, Arlen thought she had truly won. She had fought back. She had proven herself.

But as she looked down at her left arm, now hanging limp by her side, the reality of the cost hit her.

Her arm—it was barely even connected, her flesh mangled beyond recognition. Bone jutted out at an odd angle, and she couldn't feel it anymore. The blood flowed freely, warm and sticky, but she didn't have the strength to even try to stop it.

She wanted to scream. Wanted to give up.

But something in her refused to break. She had started this journey to prove she wasn't a burden.

To mean something. She couldn't fail now, not when she had come this far.

Arlen clenched her jaw, forcing herself to rise, her legs shaking as she pushed forward.

This wasn't the end.

She had just lost the first piece of herself. And if she kept pushing-if she kept fighting-she might just find the purpose she had been searching for.

But the harsh reality was clear: there would be more to lose, more to sacrifice. And the path she had chosen was darker than she had ever imagined.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***