Prologue

This is an unedited draft of a prologue. Short and sweet and jumbled like monster-saurus:

The sun, hanging high and unobstructed, bore down on the cracked and worn pavement. Heat radiated from all directions.

“Oh come off it Tom!” said a man, his voice raspy and labored. “Just a few more miles?”

“Yeah” a second voice replied, belonging to the man called Tom “Just a few more, James, than we can rest.”

“We should be resting now!” James replied, with a hint of incredulity “And why in world are we trudging about in the middle of the day, like filthy commoners.”

“Quiet James, watch what you say now.”

The voices carried through the air, growing softer as they reverberated further through the concrete jungle, echoing and colliding into a muddled din.

The pair of men walked at a slow yet determined pace. The taller one, James, was wearing a graying cloak, the hood thrown back to reveal a mess of light brown hair, hastily tied back. Tom, a head shorter, walked in front. His hood still up, hiding his short blonde and blue hair.

The pair continued their way ever deeper into the seemingly empty city. Recently abandoned and partially destroyed, the skeletons of houses and towers littered the streets with their rubble. This made the traveling slow, as on more than one occasion they had to climb through the rubble or wander down sides streets till they could find a clear path through.

Onward they went, the buildings (or what remained) growing taller, closer together, and at times stacked perilously high one atop the other.

Tom pulled a wand from beneath his cloak, igniting the area around them with a faint red glow.  The sun having started its descent into oblivion cast long reaching shadows through the streets and structures, like many angry fingers grasping for the two men.

Sounds crept through the streets and alleys, breaking the long silence. the scraping of boots echoed off the walls. long, dragging sounds were followed by brief moments of silence.

Then the moans followed. Empty, gutteral moans. They were surrounded on all sides by tall decrepit buildings, in a city that should have stood empty. Nothing should have remained behind. Living or dead.

Eyes peered out of the darkness between buildings, reflecting red in the pale light of Tom’s wand. Many eyes. Hungry eyes. Soulless eyes.

Tom and James exchanged looks as James readied his own wand.