FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The Snow leopard walked through the nighttime ruins of the city. The buildings around him were mainly intact, except for a few broken windows here or there, it was intact, but empty. Not a soul in sight, the only thing keeping him company seemed to be the whispers of the wind as it blew through the streets. He had seen this city in the distance as he traveled the desert that surrounded it. He was a wanderer; he went from town to town, never staying in anywhere very long. He wore a ballistic vest and cargo pants, and in his hands he gripped an assault rifle. He had been drawn here for some reason, though he did not know exactly why. Perhaps it was curiosity, or maybe it was his greed, hoping to find something valuable. Or maybe it was something else. He studied the area, the skyscrapers and buildings loomed over him. The concrete surfaces showed signs of aging, but not of degrading, only small cracks in the dried surfaces. He was on an overpass when he saw an old mall, in the middle of the city. He didn't know why, but he felt as though he needed to go to it. He made his way to the entrance of the mall, being cautious as he explored. The parking lot which surrounded the mall was completely empty. There was no sign of any conflict or turmoil, or of plague or panic. The city was just deserted. He began to wonder what the city must have looked like before being abandoned like this, it was clear no one had lived here for quite some time. Any maps he had come across of this desert had no indication or record of a city here.

He closed his eyes a moment and pictured the city as he imagined it would have appeared. All round people went about, into the mall and out again, the parking lot filled with cars. His mind returned to the present and he felt a dull throb in his head. He shrugged it off and continued towards the mall when the wind picked up. The wind blew through the buildings, making the city creak and groan around him. He entered the mall, stepping through the broken glass panel doors, careful to make as little noise as possible. He looked outside, something felt wrong, the city was devoid of life. Wildlife in the area seemed non-existent, even the plant life looked as though they avoided growing here. He continued onward into the mall department store when the wind picked up again. It went through the mall, and brushed the fur on his face. He breathed in, and instantly became uneasy, there was someone else here. It was faint, but a scent carried by the wind was obvious.

He could not make out how close they were, nor if they were even in the mall anymore, but there was someone other than him walking this place. His heart pounded faster in his chest, and his senses became more acute as he paid attention to his surroundings. His ears twitched at every little sound that was made around him, and his eyes darted to every corner of the room. It didn't help that the department store had racks, displays, and mannequins all around. In the dim moonlight that shown through the windows, the mannequins looked more like dead bodies strewn about. He walked forward, looking for a sign that anyone else was there. He went through the department store and entered the malls atrium. The wind came through the mall, carrying the scent from before with it, stronger this time. There was no mistaking it; someone else was in the mall with him.

His grip on the rifle tightened, as he silently searched the atrium. Once more the wind picked up and blew the opposite direction, this time carrying his scent. Whatever it was he smelled before, knew he was here now. He walked past an old clothing store outlet, abandoned and empty like the rest of the mall. He walked by the edge of the floor he was on that overlooked the lower levels of the mall, watching for a sign of life somewhere below. The wind had completely died down for now. Silence enveloped everything it seemed. He heard a scrapping noise which reverberated through the entire mall. With the sound bouncing around the ancient structure, there was no way to pinpoint the origin of the noise. He walked down through the lower level into the food court. He was beside a row of booths when he heard something; he looked into the upper levels and saw movement. He couldn't make out what it was; he had only caught a glimpse.

He quickly ran and hid behind the counter of a food outlet in the court. He peered over the counter and scanned over the floors above him, looking for what was there with him. Even with his natural ability of seeing in low-light conditions, his vision was hindered, very little moonlight shown through the skylight above. He began to shake a little, and a chill ran through his spine. He jumped as he heard a metal clang in the distance; he quickly rose out of cover and aimed his weapon at the source of the sound. An old tin can rolled across the floor, being pushed a little further when the wind started up again. He felt his head throb again, enough to make him cringe. He closed his eyes the pain become worse. When he opened them, the mall was full of people, walking around the food court.

He looked behind him into the fast food outlet; there were cashiers and fry cooks up and about. He could smell the food as it cooked, and feel the heat from the interior of the kitchen. He turned toward a young male lynx in a restraint uniform. Then in a voice that was not his own said "Jared! The manager wants to speak with you."

The young male lynx looked at him and nodded, then made his way to the back of the restraint. Once he had gone out of view, he turned around to the counter to see a pretty female lynx standing in front of him. "Thanks for getting my little brother that job here. You're the best."

Then again, in a voice that the snow leopard knew was not his own spoke, "No problem, I'm glad to help." He leaned on the counter and asked, "We still going out tonight?"

"Of course!" she said, "Pick me up at six!"

"All right, see you later." He said, as she walked with a group of others. He watched them run off into the mall, as he stood at the register. The snow leopards head throbbed again, and he was snapped back into reality, back into the night ruins of the ancient mall. These visions felt real, too real. This last one felt like more of a memory than a daydream. He quickly looked at his surroundings, remembering that he was not alone here. He could not see anything or anyone, all around him was quiet. He slowly made his way to the movie theatre in the back of the food court, the wind, blowing once again, sent another chill through his frame, and another loud creak of the city's structures through the air. He explored through the old movie theatre and studied the posters on the wall. Each advertised a movie that the snow leopard didn't recognize. He followed the hallway that was lined with these posters until he got to the end. At the end were several doors, each lead to a different viewing room. He entered through the door closest to him, into the viewing room. He gazed at the rows of seat facing the blank screen on the wall; he doubled over in pain, as his head throbbed worse than before. The pounding in his skull lasted several seconds, before finally subsiding. This time when his eyes opened, the theatre was full, and against his will, he began to walk up the steps to one of the empty rows of seats.

He began to panic, his movements, his voice, his choices, were not his own. It was as if he was seeing this through someone else eyes. He clenched his fists and was violently forced down the stairs, snapped back into the real world. His rifle had fired when he clenched his fist, and the sound echoed through the entire mall, and even through the entire city. He sat up against a wall and clutched his aching head; it felt as if it would explode. After several long moments, the pain ebbed away. He stood up, and realized that his rifle had surely given away his location to whatever was nearby. He stood up and quickly ran back out of the theatre and into the mall atrium again. He started running to the nearest staircase out of the food court to get out of the mall. As he ran his head had a sharp pain that took him by surprise, this one more intense than the last. He fell over from the shock and grabbed his head, the pain was unbearable. He looked up at the shattered skylight above, and his vision flashed. Once more the mall was populated, people walking through the food court. There was a loud crash from above, glass fell to the floor from the skylight, and a small canister hit the ground. It rolled a few feet then started pumping out a yellow cloud. The people around screamed and ran away in a mass panic. More of the canisters fell from above and released their yellow clouds about the mall, poisoning the air. Those who did not escape the cloud looked as if they were choking for moment, and then they would fall to the ground, motionless and silent.

A canister landed near the Snow Leopard's feet, he tried to run away, but he was not fast enough. The cloud enveloped him in a yellow haze. He tried to hold his breath and get out, but after almost a minute, he could no longer hold his breath. When he breathed in, it like his throat was on fire, and his lungs felt as if there was broken glass inside them. He fell to his knees as he choked on the poisonous gas that surrounded him. He grabbed his throat in a vain attempt to prevent more of the cloud entering his body. He fell to the ground, his body unable to function any longer in this yellow cloud. He crawled as he felt himself losing consciousness. He was pulled back into reality, just as his vision darkened. He was again in the dark ruins of the mall.

He breathed in as much air as he could, remembering the horrid feeling of drowning in the gas. His eyes were watering and his entire body was shaking. He felt cold, like his veins were full of ice. He heard a metallic click behind him and he turned around, and found himself staring down the barrel of his own rifle. He looked beyond the barrel of the gun to see a lioness wielding it. She held it to his head, her gaze steady. She had long, fire red hair and wore old patchwork combat armor. He felt himself still shaking as he looked in her eyes.

She spoke, "You've had them too, haven't you? These........visions. I can see it in your eyes." Her voice was calm. He waited a moment, and then answered her.

"Yes." His voice was quiet. She lowered the gun and extended her hand to him. He took and stood up. He felt confused, what he had seen, or rather what he had experienced, was overwhelming. The Lioness looked at him; he was obviously shaken by the last vision. She eyed him over for a moment before saying, "Come on, you look hungry. Let's get you something to eat."

She held onto his rifle and led him away. She took him to a small store outlet with a broken skylight. Under the skylight was a small pile of wood and other burnable items. Beside it were a sleeping bag, and a duffle bag that doubled as a pillow. The lioness unzipped the duffle bag and pulled out a lighter. She opened it and flicked it several times before it produced a small flame. She brought the flame to the pile of kindling and held it below some shredded paper. She closed the lighter after the kindling caught fire and spread to the wood. The Snow leopard watched her as she put the lighter back and rummaged through her bag. He sat down across from her as she dug through her supplies. The wind picked up again, sending a chill down both their spines. He brought his hands closer to the fire to try and warm himself. The lioness pulled out two chunks of dried meat from her duffle bag and handed one to him. He took it gratefully and bit into the salty meat and tore a piece off. They ate their food in silence, enjoying the time they had without the visions. The memories.

It wasn't until they finished their meals that the silence was broken. "What's your name?" asked the lioness.

"Vaden." Answered the Snow leopard. "You?"

"My name's Amber." She replied. She leaned in closer to the fire to warm up. She looked at Vaden, "Let me ask you another question. Why did you come here?"

Vaden breathed, "I don't really know. I was traveling from town to town when I saw this place from a distance. When I got closer, it just felt like I had to come here. I don't know how to explain it." He looked at her; she was at ease, though she kept his rifle away from him. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked tired, like him. She was listening carefully, obviously wanting answers, not just idle conversation. She seemed to be analyzing his answers, when he spoke up. "Earlier, you asked me if I had been seeing visions too. Do you mean to say that you've had them as well?"

She didn't respond for a moment as she looked into the fire. It was some time before she responded. "Yes. I came here about two days ago and began having these visions. At first, all I was seeing was a peaceful day, with nothing wrong. Then they were full of death and war. People dying all around me, screaming, trying to run away. Trying to escape the clouds of gas, but no one got away, no matter how fast they ran or how hard they struggled to claw themselves out." She looked at the ground, tears at her eyes. Vaden gave her a moment to compose herself.

"So why did you stay? Why didn't you get up and leave this place behind you?", he asked.

"I was drawn here, kind of like you. But when I arrived, it felt as though I couldn't leave. It felt like I was supposed to wait for something." she answered. She sighed, "What did you see? In your visions, what was there?"

Vaden told her of all he had seen in his visions. From when he first entered the city, to where he awoke to see her holding his rifle. When he finished, she looked at him sympathetically.

"You felt what it was like inside of the gas clouds? That must have been horrible, I'm so sorry.", she said. "I saw what happened to people inside of the gas, but I can't imagine what it must have been like."

Vaden noticed that she looked as tired as he felt. She picked up his rifle and handed it to him.

"Here." She said, "I trust you won't shoot me in the back with it."

"I won't, I promise." He took the rifle and pulled out the clip to replace the bullet he fired from it. "I'm curious, how did you find this place? What were you doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"The same thing you were doing. Just traveling from town to town, just surviving." She answered.

"Any particular destination in mind?"

"No." she replied, "Just never found anywhere I belong." She smiled, "It is a great way to get free drinks at a bar. Playing the new girl in town." She rearranged how she was sitting. They talked for a while about their travels for some time. After a little less than an hour, the wind picked up and blew through the structure again. "Well what are you going to do tomorrow?" she asked laying down resting her head on the duffle bag.

"Not sure yet. I guess I'll wait around and see what happens."

Amber had her eyes closed, "Well, whatever it is you decide to do; do you think you could use a traveling companion?"

"Are you offering?" asked Vaden as he leaned against a counter and closed his eyes.

"I am."

"I don't see why not. Sure, you can tag along if you'd like, I don't mind."

"Good." She said, "Make the road...................a little.....................less........." Her voice trailed off as she fell asleep. It didn't take long for Vaden to fall asleep as well.

Vaden awoke when he heard a small noise. It sounded like distant whispering. He looked around; the fire had almost died out. It was casting a dim light in the store. He looked over at Amber who was sleeping on her side, her back to him. He looked out into the rest of the mall; it was too dark even for his eyes. He listened carefully, the whispers continued but he could not make out what they were saying. It was almost unnoticeable with the wind blowing through the old mall. He stood and stuck himself half-way out the front of the store, after those visions, her dreaded what else could happen. He could feel and even hear his heart pounding in his chest. The whispered seemed to become distant as he stepped into the mall atrium. He stepped back to retrieve his rifle, and as he did, the whispers started up again. He jumped slightly as a metal clacking sound reverberated through the dead silence. It sounded like it came from the center of the mall, on the lower level. He looked at Amber who was still asleep, stretched out on her side. Vaden listened to the whispers a few more seconds before he leaned closer and poked her shoulder.

"Amber. Amber, wake up. There's something out there." He whispered. She drew a sharp breath and cracked open her eyes. She turned over and raised her head.

"What- What did you say?" she asked groggily. She started to sit up, her eyes still closed.

"I said there's something out there. Listen."

She listened, and it only took a second. Her ears perked up and her eyes snapped open. She was as alarmed by the whispering as much as he was. She pulled a revolver from under her makeshift pillow and flipped the cylinder out to check the ammo.

"I heard the same sound last night." She said, "But it's louder this time." She loaded another bullet into the cylinder and clicked it back into place. She started to leave the store and motioned for Vaden to follow. They searched the mall for the source of the sound, being careful to make as little noise as possible. They searched for what seemed like hours, slowly creeping through the atrium, the whispers becoming no less disturbing. Eventually they came across children's play area by one of the outlet stores. There were a few toys scattered around by the small structures made to play and climb on. The whispers stopped along with the wind. However, this did nothing to calm either Vaden or Amber. It actually made both of them more tense. They were both startled by a child's laughter from behind them. Their heads whipped around and they saw a child crawl out from under one of the structers in the play area. It was a German Shepard, he wore a green shirt and jeans. He looked to be no older than four or five years old. Though there was something abouit him that made them uneasy.

The boy looked at them a moment, then ran into the clothing store giggling. Amber yelled after him, "Little boy, wait!" She ran after him. Vaden followed in pursuit as well. They stopped running when they lost sight of him. " Where the hell-"

She stopped as she heard the laughter once more. She looked to her left to see the boy running up a flight of stairs to the second level of the store. They trailed after him, struggling to keep up. They finally caught up to him after running through more than half the store. He was standing in the center of a walkway and was holding an object in his hand. Amber and Vaden stopped several feet away from the boy. Amber knelt down on one knee and said in a gentle tone, "Hey, its okay. You're safe now, we won't hurt you."

The boy just stared at them. Amber continued, " Can you tell me your name? Come here sweetie, it's okay." It looked as though Ambers unease had disappeared, replaced by her more maternal feelings. Vaden still kept his distance, something felt off. He could feel a dull throb in his head, but he never took his eyes off the strange child. Amber was still talking to the boy softly, " Can you tell me why you're here?"

There was a crash in the distance, the sound of glass breaking. The child brought the object in his hand up to his face. It was a gas mask. It's domed visor was cracked and the straps were broken. Before Amber could do anything, the child ran off into the scattered displays and clothing racks.

"Wait!" yelled Amber, who followed the child with Vaden right behind her. They both stopped when they saw the German Shepard standing in a corner with several other children, all wearing gas masks. Vaden then noticed a diluted yellow cloud all around them. Amber and Vaden heard gunshots and a rush a footsteps through the store. They could screaming and panicked yelling from a short distance away. Then they saw men wearing military armor and wielding guns, run through. One of them stopped and looked at the children, not seeming to notice Vaden or Amber. The soldier yelled out, " Hey! Got some over here!"

Several soldiers surround the children and raised there weapons. " NO!" yelled Amber as she tried to put herself between the children and the soldiers. They were too far away though, the soldier gave the order. "FIRE!"

Vaden didn't dare look, he closed his eyes tightly He knew this was another vision, and he wanted it to end. He heard the gunshots and even the bullet casings clinking on the ground, but he never opened his eyes. When he finally did open them, he saw he was back in the present. He saw Amber on her knees crying. She had seen what happened. He placed his hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her. He looked at the ground, a gas mask lying there. Its broken visor seemed to stare at him.

After Amber was able to compose herself, they went back to their little camp in the store. Amber was till hysterical over what she saw. IT was a while before either of them fell asleep again. And even then, they were scared and worried. Vaden woke up first, feeling rested, though the moon was still high in the sky. He waited for Amber to wake up and they both agreed to travel together. They packed their things and left the mall, giving it one last glance before leaving the city. When they exited the city and put some distance between themselves and the city, they looked back once more. But where they had just come from, where they had spent hours of their time, where they met each other, and where they had witnessed all those terrible visions together, was gone. There was no city, not even an indication of a building. The two looked at one another, afraid and confused. Vaden stared at where the city had been for several moments, until he felt something grab his hand. He turned to see Amber, his hand in her grasp. She gave his hand a squeeze and looked at him with a pleading expression to just leave and never look back. They walked off together, the two wanderers traveling once more. They left the empty space of desert not daring to glance back again. But beyond their sight, half buried in the sand lay an object with the reflection of the stars and moon off its domed shape, a small crack in it. An object forgotten in time.