Whispering Beasts part 1

The sun never showed itself that day. From dawn, a gloomy sky covered the earth like a blanket that foreshadowed the storm that was to come. The wind blew strongly, sweeping away the dry leaves that crashed against each other as if they wanted to flee.

The world was no longer the same. It hadn’t been since that global disaster. In 2030, an unknown virus wiped out everything we knew. Humanity, which had once shown incredible resilience, was now reduced to a handful of survivors scattered across what was left of the planet. Civilization had collapsed, and with it, its structures, customs, and cities. Everything crumbled in a matter of months, as if time itself had taken a dark and irreversible turn.

Humans, always adaptable, now settled for small settlements, waiting to be consumed by the shadow of what they once were. They gathered in groups, seeking the most basic things: food, water, and a bit of pleasure in this hell.

Samantha, who belonged to one of those villages, walked alone among the ruins of what had once been a park. In her hands, a rusted machete she had found in a hardware store—now her only protection against the necrophages that wandered the desolate landscape. She had learned to move with caution, to keep her steps silent, and to rely more on instinct. She was especially careful and preferred to explore alone; she didn’t know when betrayal would come from someone she had once considered a friend, nor when that person would become infected and try to kill her.

The acid rains that fell frequently had become commonplace. Their drops burned the skin, leaving marks that never fully healed—but that didn’t matter. Reaching tomorrow alongside her brother was the only goal in her life.

In the midst of all this, humanity had learned and adapted to the poison that came from the sky, covering themselves with waterproof fabrics and masks that barely filtered the gases as they wandered through the dreadful park of the red zone.

Suddenly, a shadow moved to her left among the bushes. Samantha stopped in her tracks, her pulse quickened. Her breath caught for a moment, and she clenched the handle of the machete more tightly.

A human figure appeared—or at least, what was left of one. Samantha could make out a hunched being, with half of its face destroyed, exposed flesh, and remnants of dried blood staining its tattered clothes.

The most unsettling part was in its gaze; those lifeless eyes reflected nothing, not even a hint of desire. They looked like a dead fish floating at the edge of its pond—perhaps a more accurate description could be found in those apocalyptic movies.

Samantha held her breath as she realized the necrophage’s hands were holding what remained of a body, devouring the organs with frenzy. The scene was grotesque, which instantly made her nauseous, but it was also a warning of what would happen to her if she ever stopped moving.

A chill ran down her spine. She knew she shouldn’t approach; the risk was too high. The E-virus had infected more than half the population and was transmitted by contact. The figure, like an animal lost in its macabre feeding, didn’t distinguish between women or children—it simply remained detached from the world, driven by its instincts to kill and eat. Samantha stepped back slowly, aware that her own survival depended on keeping her distance from that aberration.

She clenched her teeth in anger. She had faced too many of them to waste time. She turned around, hurrying to take another path, moving away as quickly as possible. She had to leave before nightfall—she couldn’t wait for the beasts to gather.

She advanced along the desolate path, the rain falling on her clothes, masking the sound of her footsteps. In the distance, on the horizon, the rumble of thunder made her quicken her pace.

In recent weeks, a rumor had been circulating in the village about a possible refuge, a wall that rose high into the sky and kept the necrophages away. Some spoke of a fortress in the north, hundreds of kilometers from here. But no one had returned to confirm its existence.

As she walked, the rain intensified, and with it, the cold. Once again, Samantha felt the weight of responsibility. Long before all this began, she had never appreciated the value of her family. Now that she was alone with her younger brother, a deep longing took over her heart as she thought of what the beasts had taken—her brother’s deteriorating health, her mother’s warm voice calling her for breakfast, her father’s shouts as he watched the baseball game. Now all of that was nothing more than distant shadows. The cruel reality of this world had turned into kill or be killed.

The stench of rotting flesh clung to her clothes as she neared the village—it didn’t matter how far she walked, the horror followed her like a second skin. Even now, at the sight of the broken gates, there was no comfort. Just more walls to survive behind.

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