7

Earth before Awakening

The puddles soiled Rayne's already worn-out shoes. She hadn't bought one in years. She still remembered Ryan's smile when she gave him a new pair on his last birthday. He had looked at them as if they had been covered in diamonds. He would have kept staring at them for hours if she hadn't laughingly told him that maybe he should try them on!

Ivan had taken the package back without batting an eyelid, even though he had called the customer " little shit who didn't know how to recognize good merchandise ". He had promised to give her the next delivery to make.

But this declaration had not erased this feeling that she had felt for the first time, in front of these eyes which had shown for her only contempt and this door definitively closed. Helplessness was a feeling she knew little about.

Since the death of her parents, she had fought for everything she had, for her brother. Everything was against her. There was always a new obstacle.

Rayne watched the cloudy sky as usual. She couldn't remember when she had last seen stars. The city was covered in a permanent cloud of pollution. The sky was slowly clearing. Dawn would soon rise and his work awaited him.

No, she wasn't going to give up after everything they had been through.

Ten minutes later, she arrived at the entrance of her home. She saw Paula standing in the doorway, a lit cigarette in her hand. She usually got up later.

"Hey, Paula, isn't it a bit early for a cigarette?" she asked casually. She was about to go home, but a hand gently rested on her shoulder.

"They took him," she whispered.

"I don't understand Paula. Which "they" are you talking about and what did they take?"

Paula threw her cigarette on the ground before crushing it, she ran her hand feverishly through her curly hair. The one still on Rayne's shoulder was shaking.

“He waited for you outside, near the door. He couldn't sleep, he said he needed some fresh air. I let him do it… He told me he was big enough, that he could manage. It was almost daylight. I went to get a cigarette, it took me two minutes. I swear if I had known what they were going to do I never would have left him there. I swear," she said, her hand tightening on Rayne's shoulder and it was getting sore.

"What are you talking about!" cried the latter,

"I heard Ryan's cries, the garbage collectors, Rayne! They took him!"

Rayne started running. She ran with all her might. The first rays of the sun were beginning to light up the streets. But she could only see one thing in the distance, the night garbage convoy.

" Ryan ! Ryan!» she screamed in the street. The closer she got to them, the more obvious the truth became.

The garbage collectors were about to start the convoy to finish their service when the gaze of one of them fell on her. He remained motionless for a moment. But all she could see was the bloodstains smearing her uniform. The man slowly lifted his mask.

He smiled, he laughed at her misfortune. She had seen him, she would have recognized him from afar. It was him, it was Derek.

" You will pay me for it ", he had promised.

Rayne, like a puppet whose wires had just been cut, collapsed on the ground, while the truck in which his brother had just been crushed drove away.

Images paraded like flashes before his eyes. A frail body caught by surprise, a struggle to get out of their steel grip. Figures dragging him to the truck. Her name he was screaming because he knew she should have been there. He was screaming for her to take him home. His body lifted up and thrown into hell. And howls of pain as the grinder did its work.

A cry then resounded in the deserted street, mingled with heart-rending sobs and almost… inhuman moans. Only the dead walked at night and death had just knocked on her door.

She had whispered sweet nothings in his ear, she had shown him her tricks. Death had played with her. She had danced, waltzed, twirled and she had won.

" Ryan ! »