Opening Statement

A Chapter by Eyes_in_the_Dark

Long after a apocalyptic event killed the world, a man by the name of Wade accepts a mysterious scouting job.

Opening Statement

The rank headed forward more towards a metallic port of hab in the far view. With the shuffle of boots along the dust and the odor of soot stagnating through the breeze, it almost relieved Wade to knowledge the presence of a circulated airflow on the upcoming. Underground structures were scattered beneath mounds of debris all across ignis, but only the prosperous flaunted a circulated airflow. The prosperous gent in this bunk was Gabor Giel, a man well defined by his substantial firearm heap.

The front rank strided onwards, mounted with a hefty machine gun ported with so much ammo that he wore the line as if a scarf of lead. The mid and back ranks also toted firearms of all sorts, assaulters to rifles and amid. Wade was left in the lurch with nothing but his fists to protect. Strange how even when crowded among fire-striders, one had felt as if exposed to threat.

The rank came to the port so minuscule that one would have missed it if not glanced upon with ambition. The front rank smashed the grimey port with thunderous bangs. A small window located dead center of the port shifted wide as two vigorous eyes popped out and glared at the entire rank.

“Aditum mates?,”a raspy voice sputtered from abaft the port.

“Praesid comrade”, the front rank howled back at the voice. The port slid open and stood forwards was the man behind the port; glaring the rank down with unnerving steadiness as they made through onto a gigantic downward stairwell.

The walls about the stairwell were large, rusted, dimly lit hunks of steel and iron. The odorous soot still lingered forward, but it was something to be able to breathe clean and smooth without fumes stuffing one’s lungs. The stairwell led into a protracted and tangled chasm of steel which sprouted outward into many directions.

The front rank motioned at Wade for him to follow as he strided more forth down the chasm, seamlessly making twists and turns as if knowledged on how to navigate the metallic maze from birth. The front rank thereafter settled at a thick iron door, rusted beyond years.

“Gabor is through. Give him your code.” The front rank demanded sharply.

“Liut.” Wade agreed. He pushed the door wide into a large, metallic room former to letting it pound shut behind him. Stood forward was Gabor Giel, a tall folk near 6 and a half feet with a stern face that oozed power. Although looked tired, he was clean and seemed fed well enough, a rarity even amongst the prosperous.

“Code!” He scolded at Wade who quickly reached into his coat pocket and captured a small paper piece he was granted when picked up by the rank.

“827301P!” Wade read off the paper, not meaning to shout, but succumbing towards it anyways.

“Wade, right?” Gabor’s seamless voice asked.

“Yeah.”

“It’s a bell to meet you.” Gabor spoke, “Please Wade, sit down.” There was a wide silver table in the middle of the large room, seated on two sides were stiff, metallic chairs. Wade, abiding to his orders, took a seat.

“Luit Wade, I’ll give you the brev.” Gabor spoke, “There is a woman, 32 of age, location unknown. Here are the precise details, they will service you to find her.” He handed Wade a paper piece which he proceeded to examine closely. “You will receive help from one of our explorators, her name’s Ealasid.”

“Oh no, I don’t need help.” Wade spoke; still examining the paper.

“You’re going to need it Wade, she’s knowledged with this ignis region. She knows every homis around.”

“Why don’t you send her for the scout then?” Wade proposed.

“That’s not her job, Wade.” Gabor responded.

The paper that Wade was handed described every detail that Gabor knew on this person's physique. The color of her skin, accent, hair color, eye color, height, All the incid.

“Once you locate her, lead her back to myself.” Gabor added to the details.

“Why do you want her so badly that you will send a scout and an explorator long ways into the far view to get her?” Wade asked.

“That is not for you to take knowledge of Wade” Gabor Sternly remarked.

“Luit, and exchange?”

“Five thousand pecus if brought back without injuries, four thousand if brought back with injuries, one thousand if severely injured, none if perished or missing. Not a finger laid on her by you, ya understand Wade?”

“How about if I bring her back without a scratch I get five thousand pecus and a vehicle.” Wade stammered out.

“What kind of vehicle?”

“Gas guzzler.” Wade demanded. “Full tank, runs well.”

Gabor thought. “I’ll tell you what Wade, if you manage to bring her back here without a scratch, I’ll make you head of this bunker myself. How about if she comes back without any injuries I’ll give you three thousand pecus and the gas guzzler. Is that a deal, Wade?”

“Luit, it’s a deal.” Wade agreed.

“Good, keep her healthy and well fed. Ealasid will give you more knowledge of the targets whereabouts before leading you outward, fortuna Wade.”

Gabor stepped out of the large room and following, not long after, entered Ealasid. She wore a long black trench coat with multiple layers of greyish clothing underneath; the standard wear for explorators. Ealasid sat down across from Wade, in the same seat Gabor sat in previously. She swung swiftly at her lengthy black hair to keep it out of her face.

Because of the thickly dark skies and the burnt black rubble, explorators commonly wore all black. Black clothes, black hair, and black skin most of the time. Ealasid didn’t acquire black skin however, if you had white skin and where on a dangerous task, you had to smear your skin with charcoal and oil to blend in with the dark rubble easily.

She Stared Wade down with a face that bore knowledge of the task better than himself.

“Luit Wade, Our first stop will be at Greyhab. We will meet up with a man named David Brown, he will inform us where to continue our search for Adria, the target in question. You will do what I say, when I say it. Luit Wade?” Ealasid spoke with an aggressive tone.

“Luit.” Wade answered.

“Here’s the map, it reads the surrounding locations, incase you get lost.” She handed a folded piece of paper to Wade which he studied in concentration.

The map was of Ignis. Ignis was not a defined location but more of an idea. Ignis compensated all of land, a mere word that only existed to explain where you were located. Everywhere was Ignis, but at the same time, nowhere was.

In the center of the map was their location, “Gabor’s Bunk” as it was called. To the far south was a crudely drawn recreation of the No Man’s Land, a far reaching impassible wall of flames that burned for eternity. It made the skies forever dark and the atmosphere ever growing thicker with smoke. No one has ever passed the No Man’s Land, in or out of Ignis. A death sentence for everything alive. To the upper northwest of Gabor’s Bunk was Greyhab.

Greyhab was a peculiar place, caught in the middle of a civil war between Jone’s castle and the U.R.I (United Republic of Ignia); the only thing Greyhab had as a pull was habitories for everyone. Greyhab is built on a massive mound of rubble from the Old World, meaning there is lots of concrete to work with. Although the habitors are cramped, they gave citizens, or “Homises” as South Ignis liked to call them, shelter from the black skies, and a place to rest. With hundreds of builders in Greyhab, the habitors are mass produced, leaving no one sleeping on the streets.

To the west of everything was Jone’s Castle, an immensive monument in the New World; built from decades of blood and poverty. Run by Jone, a man seeking to make the world fixed once again, the castle stands at immeasurable heights. Guarded by every weapon you could imagine.

To the Southeast was the gas fields, a large plain drenched with gasoline. Heaven for gas guzzlers.

Aside from a few geographical locations spattered here and there to keep one on track, nothing more was located on the map. Wade folded it up and slid it into his pocket.

“Ready Wade? Let’s go.” Ealasid said before heading for the door.

“Do I not carry?” Wade questioned the fact that he still didn’t hold a weapon; and Ealasid stared back at him, dumbfounded.

“You think just because you applied and we accepted that you have our trust now? To us you’re just another stranger, nothing more. If you were to put this mission in jeopardy on purpose we will f*****g end you Wade. You don't follow my orders? You’re dead. You attack myself or our directors? You’re dead. You lay a single damn finger on our target? Guess what? You’re dead.” She snapped at Wade, “Let’s get moving, follow close.”

next chapter

© 2016 Eyes_in_the_Dark

Author's Note

This is the piece that brought me back into writing after a long break. This story is the basis I use for all my current works, as you may have noticed from words or phrases I used in this story being present in my newer ones.

I experimented with this one a lot. One of which experiments being world building. I came up with words and phrases for the characters to use to immerse one into the world even more.

So, did the world building distract you from the story at all? were you still able to understand the events with all the made up words? If not, how could I improve? Also, would you like to see the other chapter I have written up?

All other criticism is welcome, of course.

My Review

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Featured Review

Devanshi

I really liked the piece, you write like a published author! I would love to read the other chapters, for goodness' sake! It seems there is some kind of suspense in there. Post the second chapter please. The word building didn't distract me, it kind of immersed me into the story and I was able to get what's happening, so yeah, I don't see anything I would criticise here!