Page 3 of Pet: Genesis

I hastily nod, placing my hand over his. His skin is cooler than usual.

“I love you… so much. And I need you to listen to what I’m about to tell you,” he manages. But his words are becoming weaker by the second. He inhales a deep breath, the tremor of his arm spreading to his whole body.

“Get out of the city… go as far as you can and never place your trust in anyone. You have to get as far away from the fighting aspossible… you have to do whatever it takes to—” he trails off, his breathing turning into shallow pants as he struggles to hold onto life.

“Dad! Daddy! Please!” I cry out, my grip on his palm tightening. His pale eyes meet mine as he struggles to speak his last words to me, his brow furrowing. He grips my hand, his grip mimicking his desperation to speak his last words to me.

“…survive…”

His grip slackens, and I watch in horror as his eyes slowly dull, his life leaving his body. I drop my head in my hands, gripping my mother’s locket with all my might. The sound of screams and a battle in the distance fills the air, and I know I have no time to mourn. I have no time to hold my father or find my mother to bury them. I have to go.

I have to.

I slowly stand just in time to see what it is that has changed my life forever. My eyes widen as I take in the army of foreign beings walking through what remains of the park with their weapons. Their armor glistens from the sun reflecting off the form-fitting uniforms. They’re terrifying. I take one last look at my father, my feet already moving away before they spot me.

I hastily wipe my eyes as I run in the opposite direction, hatred bubbling deep within me. I know there’s nothing I can do now, but one day, I will avenge my family. One day, I will repay these invaders for what they have caused. Tears burn my eyes as the reality of my life comes crashing down on me. I don’t know where I’m going, but it doesn’t matter as my jog turns into a sprint, andI make my way in the opposite direction to follow my father’s last command.

Survive.

Chapter One

Iris

I stare in confusion at the scraps that have been laid out before me. There’s rotted fruit, a dead bird, and stale bread if you can call it that at this point in its rotting cycle. My eyes travel up to Margot, who stands before me. Her eyes are sunken and gaunt. Margot has been by my side since we met years ago in this wasteland we now call home.

“This is it?” I ask, confused.

Margot nods her head grimly, her sunken gaze shifting to the scraps that sit on the table. We both know this is not enough to feed both of us, let alone the group of girls we have created to protect.

I punch the decaying couch, causing dirt to fly.

“Shit,” I curse aloud.

Our group of survivors consists of five girls, with me at the forefront as the leader. Originally, we all lived in the forests, as itwas deemed safer than staying on the outskirts of the Leviathan cities. But it’s now become safer to live in small ruins of our old society called “blights.” And seeing as we’re a group of women and teens, it’s become a necessity for us to stay in groups. It’s the only way we’ve been able to survive all these years.

I look back up at Margot. Her curly brown hair barely reaches her shoulders, and I can see her bones jutting from beneath her skin. We are literally starving to death out here. The Leviathan have been making their moves, wiping out more places like this one. We’ve not only become overrun with people fleeing the Leviathan authority but with diseases as well. Survival is becoming more of a delusion as the weeks pass.

“Maybe we should leave the blight,” I say. Fear instantly clouds Margot’s gray eyes.

Leaving can mean several things. We would have to scout new terrain, fight off new strangers to claim our territory, risk being killed off one by one, or worse—run intothem. To this day, we do not know who or what they are beyond their name. We know to stay away and to fear them. They didn’t come in peace. They came to conquer. Their claim over our planet is growing larger by the day. As a result, our chances of survival are diminishing.

Man is a selfish race. We proved that at the time of the invasion. Instead of helping one another defend our home from intruders, we pointed fingers, shut down borders, and retreated within ourselves. I watched as a child growing into the woman I am today that the “Every man for himself” rule exists. Even as my group hides from the Leviathan, we also hide from our fellow man.

Our hideout lies in the backside of an alley in an old, abandoned building. It is safe from the naked eye because the entrance to the building is blocked by rubble. Our secret entrance is on the side and difficult for most to enter. But since most of us are emaciated or small, we can slink easily into the holes.

I feel tears of frustration beginning to burn my eyes.

“What do we do?” I whisper.

Margot shakes her head, slowly sinking into the rotting couch across from me. We will die if we stay here. And if we leave, we could die out there. We lost three the last time we left a blight to find this one. I can’t put us through that again. I won’t, especially since the lack of food is affecting our usual strength. We’ll be like sitting ducks.

My fingers find their way to the necklace that has never left my throat since the day they invaded. It’s a habit I’ve picked up over the years. The motion calms me at times when I feel overwhelmed. Although the chain around my neck has begun to rust, the silver pendant only has scratches across the surface. The pendant was my mother’s before that day. It holds a picture of my family. A family I barely remember this far in life. I was only ten when the world was changed, and that was years ago. I have no sense of time, as survival has become most important. I couldn’t tell you my age or how long it’s been since I saw my parents’ live faces.

It’s another luxury the Leviathan stole from us.

“I think this might be it, Iris,” Margot’s cracked voice pulls me from my thoughts. Her gaze matches mine as tears stream down her face.

“I think it’s time we do what they want and die out,” she whispers.

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