Silver Men

NOTE- This is a part of a much larger piece I have in mind. Just letting you know :D




Silver Men.


The ground shuddered and groaned violently, dust fell from the ceiling and lightning flashed through the crack panes of glass, casting uncertain shadows over the bloodied tapestries and walls stained crimson. Clashes of steel on steel continued to ring distantly throughout, but the battle was long lost. Kazmir walked the halls in a daze, eye open but unseeing. Unconsciously he stepped over the debris that littered the stone floors, as well as the remains of men who had fought. He stopped and glanced out one of the windows. Strange balls of light rained down from the sky on the lightening, crashing into the ground with a deafening roar. Random fires dotted the city, blazing out of control as the people ran screaming. Strange men in shining clothes marched the streets, some firing short flashes of light. Darkness fell for a moment, and Kaz saw himself in the glass, blood dried on his face and eyes empty.

He staggered away from his ghostly self, tripping over something. He landed on his back, head rolled to the side, facing that same blank expression again but this time on the face of a soldier. Kaz stood back to his feet, shaking, and stumbled down the hall, trying to run away from the horrors that surrounded him. The eyes of the fallen followed him as he ran, blankly staring, accusing. He rounded a corner and crashed into one of those silver men. They both rolled on the floor, each struggling to pin the other. Punches thrown, the man kicked Kaz of him, and pulled out a thin, black rod off his belt, aimed and fired. Kaz ducked, and behind him the wall exploded, the force throwing him back into man. They hurtled into the opposite wall, the man’s head smashing against the stone with a sickening crack. That same blank stare now watched Kaz as he climbed back onto his feet, using the wall for support. He quickly grabbed the cylinder, which was surprisingly heavy, and pocketed it.

Running out into the ruined courtyard, those lights still falling around him, Kaz tried to think of how to get out of the city safely, and where he could go. But there was nowhere he could go, those balls of light would soon rain down in every land, the silver men and their terrifying weapons would destroy everyone. A hand out of the dark grabbed him and pulled him away. Kaz drew the rod out of his pocket and fire randomly, hitting a wall behind them. “Put that away! You trying to get us killed?!” A familiar voice rasped in his ear, and took the rod from Kaz, throwing it to the ground. The Wandering Stranger led him back against the wall, just as some of the shining men strode through the courtyard, marching in perfect unison. As soon as they were out of sight, Kaz and The Stranger moved through the city slowly, avoiding any soldiers they saw.

They soon made it out of the city, still careful to evade detection, and came to one of the craters, this one with a metal pod inside still hot to touch.

“This is like the one I found on the night we first left…” Kaz stepped closer. “But how?”

The Stranger hesitated. “They travel down in those pods from above, hidden by the lightening.

” “But that means…” Kaz whispered

The Stranger roughly put his hand over Kaz’s mouth. “Don’t. Just don’t.” after a few moments, he removed his hand.

“Where are we going then?” “West” Kaz asked quickly.

The Stranger replied instantly. “To The Guardians.”

Kaz froze and said softly. “But that would mean it’s them. It can’t be them…”

The Stranger began walking off, and Kaz ran to catch up.

“It’s happening isn’t it? Just like the stories said it would. They have come back, haven’t they?”

The Stranger fixed one dark eye upon him as they walked. “We shall see. Soon, we shall see.”