A promise in the ruins

“Brother, brother! Come and catch me if you can! Haha!”

“Take it easy, Violet,” I said, jogging behind her. “I don’t want you to get hurt. You know that, right?”

She slowed down, giggling. “Yeah, I can go slower. I like that you’re worried about me. But you have to take it easy too sometimes, okay?”

“I know,” I said, catching my breath. “But I can’t stop worrying about you. You’re my little sister.”

She looked up at me, more serious now. “And since Mom and Dad died… I worry about you too. You’ve had so much trouble, and you’re the one taking care of me.”

I kneeled down and held her shoulders gently. “Violet, listen. I will always protect you. Always. Because I’m your brother—and because I love you.”

Later that night, after she had fallen asleep, I sat by the window, watching the broken world outside. Cities crumbled. The sky was a sick shade of gray. And out there, somewhere in the shadows, were the monsters—some human, some worse.

Violet asked me yesterday if she could go outside. She'll ask again today. But it’s too dangerous. I can’t let her go. Not into that chaos. Not yet.

But… maybe there's a way.

If I clear the area... if I remove the threats nearby... then maybe, just maybe, she could step outside for a little while—be free for once.

Yes. I’ll make it safe for her. Even if I have to kill everything that stands in her way.

“Violet!” I called from the door. “I’m going out for a bit. I’ve got a surprise for you when I come back. I think you’ll love it.”

“Okay, Brother!” she called from the floor, where she was drawing. “I’m just going to keep working on my cat picture!”

“Have fun,” I said, smiling. “I’ll be back soon.”

The streets outside were cold and empty. On the right, a pack of human-monsters roamed, their eyes glowing faint yellow, their movements jerky like broken puppets. On the left, a group of regular monsters huddled near a collapsed building—clawed, hunched, drooling.

I had to choose.

“Twelve human-monsters… seven beast-monsters… hmm.” I whispered. “Guess I’ll deal with the humans first.”

I stepped forward, but a scream caught my attention.

Down the road, I saw a group of men. Four of them, standing over a child—maybe seven years old. Same age as Violet. The boy was bruised, shivering.

I clenched my fists.

“Hey!” I shouted, walking toward them.

One of the men turned, sneering. “Who the hell are you? Got something to say?”

“Yeah,” I said, voice tight. “Stop hurting the kid. Can’t you see he’s already hurt?”

One of them laughed. “He’s my son. I can do what I want.”

The kid didn’t look up. He just stood there, silent and afraid.

I looked at the father… then at the boy… and I hesitated. This was the world now. Broken. Twisted. And I couldn’t fix every piece.

“…No, sir,” I said quietly. “I was just checking. I’ll be on my way.”

“Damn right,” he muttered as I turned away.

As I walked off, I thought, I’m glad it wasn’t Violet. If anyone ever touched her like that… they’d be dead before they took a breath.

Back to the hunt.

The monsters were already moving, sensing me. The human-monsters groaned, their bodies bloated and half-rotten, arms twitching like they'd forgotten how to move like people.

I readied my bow.

“Let’s do this.”

I leapt onto a low rooftop, drew three poisoned arrows, and fired them into the crowd. One monster screamed. Another dropped, foaming. The rest charged.

They surrounded me fast.

“Damn… Okay. No running now.”

I drew my sword.

They were hideous—twisted things that once were men, burned and eaten by the darkness they served. Their eyes glowed, their jaws snapped. And they hated the light.

I jumped again—higher this time—landing on the back of the largest one. With a cry, I drove my blade through its neck. It screamed, falling hard to the ground.

When the last one fell, I stood over it, panting. The sun was rising.

The beast-monsters nearby caught fire the moment sunlight touched them, burning to ash. But the human-monsters… they only twitched. They hated the light, but they could survive it.

Why is that? I wondered.

But I didn’t have time to think too long.

Violet would be waking up soon.

“I have to get back,” I said aloud. “She’s probably waiting. And she’ll love the surprise.”

A safer world. Even if just for today.

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