By: Catherine Feng

The world has long since become overpopulated. Hunger, death and disease are trivial things. Although few survived to see the “paradise” that Earth is now. Rebuilding was put off as we mourned our losses. Every day I wake up to the same desolate broken world that once had meaning. Once I, like everyone one else on Earth had something to live for even if the only reason was to not die.

In a land that was forgotten, darkness awoke from the years of bitterness, anger, and solitude. It swore revenge on those who had sealed it away. It roared and shrieked. Its rage shook the ground below and pierced the sky above. Against these bloodcurdling screeches, a new voice rang out, “Hold it back! Back you demon! Back!” A figure walked into view. She had smooth dark skin with white dots shaped like upturned crescent moons below her dark, green eyes. These eyes sparked with an intensity that contrasted her light brown hair which was flowing freely in the wind. This was Eloise. Others that looked like Eloise joined her and circled the darkness. In response, the darkness shrieked again, clawing through the gates. Its outstretched claws were unable to slice the throats of Eloise and her sisters who had surrounded the darkness and were beginning chant.

In a foreign language the eldest sister, Eloise yelled “!kcaB !egac eht otnI !kcab ti evirD!”

“Drive it back! Into the cage! Back!”

Eloise swung her head around and her bright eyes locked onto mine.

“Wake up, child.” She never stopped chanting, but her message was as clear as day.

I blinked.

Sitting up straight in my bed I glanced all around my room. The memory of the darkness kept my heart beating wildly in my chest. Dreams or nightmares are the only good thing in this world anymore. The whole planet that once shone with life is now grey and depressing. They call it “paradise”, or a “utopia”. As if it is some heavenly world, full of happiness and light.

“Hah. Paradise? What a joke.” I scoffed.

A low growl rung in my ear.

“Huh!?” I whipped my head around, “who’s there!?”

“The question isn’t who…but what,” I thought to myself.

The growl sounded a little too much like that of the darkness, filled with a dangerous hatred that may devour us all.