LIVING MY BEST LIFE

Elara stood at the mouth of the tunnel, the faintest glow of dawn piercing the haze of the destroyed city. The others stirred behind her, their nervous murmurs blending with the soft rustle of wind through the broken streets. Kian was already at her side, his eyes scanning the ruins ahead. Somewhere beyond those jagged remains, hidden in the shadows of a world overrun, lay a settlement . A fragile promise of hope in a land dominated by monsters.

She still wasn’t sure if she believed him. But they couldn’t stay here. The insects would find them eventually. They always did.

“We move quickly and stay low,” she whispered to the group. They gathered close, their faces pale and gaunt under the weak morning light. “Stay together. We stop for nothing.”

They nodded, though the fear was clear in their eyes. It mirrored her own. Survival had become a skill, honed over months of running and hiding. But even that skill was not enough against the Apex. She could feel them out there, moving, watching, waiting for the moment to strike.

Elara tightened the grip on her machete, the only weapon that had saved her time and time again. It felt small now. Insignificant. What was steel compared to the armored behemoths that roamed the earth? They had evolved into something unstoppable, something that defied everything humanity had once known.

But it was all they had. And sometimes, hope wasn’t about having enough. It was about moving forward despite the odds.

“Let’s go,” she ordered, turning to lead the group out into the open.

They moved silently, weaving through the skeletons of buildings. Careful not to disturb the loose rubble or draw attention to themselves. The air was thick with dust, and every shadow seemed to harbor danger. Overhead, the sun was rising, but its warmth no longer touched the earth. The thick clouds of ash and smog blanketed the sky, casting the world in a perpetual twilight.

For hours, they walked without incident. The silence was unnatural. Broken only by the faint buzz of distant swarms and the creaking of debris. The wind whistled through the ruins. Elara kept her senses sharp. Her eyes darting from shadow to shadow, her ears straining for the hum of wings that signaled death.

Kian led them with a confidence that unnerved her. He seemed to know the way instinctively, taking them through back alleys, abandoned streets, and once-bustling highways. Now all overrun by the wilds. Despite her doubts, she followed. She had no choice. He had the only lead they’d had in months.

By midday, they reached the outskirts of the city. The ground was cracked and dry, and the buildings gave way to vast fields of mutated vegetation. The plants here were twisted, their leaves thick with strange, oily residue. Some of them taller than any tree Elara had ever seen before. These fields had once been lush. They were fed by rivers that had long since dried up, the soil poisoned by years of human neglect.

Kian paused, crouching low behind a crumbling stone wall. He motioned for the others to do the same.

“We’re close now,” he whispered, his voice barely audible over the low whistle of the wind. “But this area… it’s dangerous.”

Elara shot him a look. “Dangerous? More dangerous than everything else?”

He nodded grimly. “The insects. They nest here.”

Her heart sank. She had heard rumors about the nests—places where the Apex bred, where they hatched their young. No one who had ever wandered too close to one had returned. The nests were death traps. Labyrinths of tunnels swarming with creatures so vicious and large that even a glimpse of them sent survivors running.

“Why would they settle near a nest?” Elara asked, her voice low, but laced with frustration. “This is suicide.”

“It’s the only place left where the insects won’t go,” Kian explained. His eyes darted toward the thick trees in the distance. “Too close to the nests. The big ones don’t come here because of territorial disputes. It’s dangerous, yes, but we’re invisible here. We just have to move fast.”

Invisible. The word clung to her mind. Maybe it wasn’t madness after all. The Apex were driven by instinct, by hunger and domination. Perhaps hiding in their shadow—under the very noses of their newborn monsters—was the best chance they had.

“Let’s move,” Elara commanded.

They crossed the field cautiously, weaving between the thick, mutated plants that swayed ominously in the breeze. As they ventured deeper, the stench of rot filled the air, and the ground became soft and uneven. Elara felt it under her feet—the brittle remains of exoskeletons, scattered bones, the remnants of failed survival attempts. Each step felt heavier, the air more oppressive.

Then she saw it.

In the distance, the faint outline of the settlement Kian had spoken of. Makeshift walls of metal and debris, solar panels glinting faintly through the haze. It was crude, but it was there. And beyond it, an expanse of darkness—a nest, rising out of the earth like a terrible wound. Massive, black, pulsating with the life inside it.

Elara’s breath caught in her throat. For a moment, she considered turning back, retreating into the safety of the tunnels. But the others were watching her, their hope resting on her shoulders. She couldn’t stop now.

Suddenly, a sharp, ear-splitting screech shattered the air.

She froze. The sound was unlike anything she’d heard before. A high-pitched keening that set her teeth on edge and made her blood run cold. And then she saw it—emerging from the nest.

A colossal insect, its chitinous body gleaming in the dim light. It was larger than anything Elara had ever imagined. Its legs spanning the width of the nest’s opening, its wings quivering with violent energy. Behind it, the ground trembled as more of the creatures stirred.

The Apex were awakening.

Kian grabbed her arm, his face pale with fear. “Run,” he whispered.

But it was too late.

The creatures swarmed, their wings cutting through the air like blades. Their massive jaws snapping as they descended upon the group. Elara’s heart raced as she raised her machete, knowing full well it was useless against the oncoming tide.

But they had come this far. And if they were going to die, they would die fighting.

With a guttural scream, she charged forward, machete in hand, toward the impossible.

to be continued…