I awoke to darkness, a thick blanket of night whose peace was broken only by an orange glow. It flickered and danced, painting a stark concrete wall in its color. Instinctively, I recoiled at the sight, something deep within me shirking away in fear. Fire.

The sight also sparked a memory, more a still image. Flame, burning on the surface of my skin. And pain. I shut my eyes tight, the mere memory of the pain like a scratch against tender skin.

Suddenly there was a creak to my side, the sound of a door opening. ‘Oh, you’re awake?” a voice came.

Turning to the voice, I recognized the face in the dim light as Ren. In his hands, he clutched two large brown paper bags. “You good?” he asked as he set the bags down on a table. “Rough night for you, huh?”

I didn’t answer, still busy understanding everything. Or rather, trying to understand why I couldn’t understand anything. My memory was a blur, slipping through my fingers no matter how desperately I grabbed at it.

“Here,” Ren said, pulling out a chocolate-dipped granola bar from the bag. “I got you some-”

Before he could finish, I had already snatched the thing from his hand. I hadn’t realized it till I saw it, but I was starving. Ravenous. I’d devoured the bar before Ren could even finish his sentence.

“-food.” Ren laughed as he pulled out another one. “Yeah, I figured you’d be starving. Have as much as you’d like. I’ve got plenty in here.”

Fifty three bars, five flavored yogurt bottles, and two bottles of milk later, I sat on my bed, lips smeared with chocolate, and faced Ren. Crumpled wrappers and empty bottles lay littered around me, making it look like I was sitting in a dumpster.

Letting out a long, satisfying belch to complete my classy look, I rubbed my belly with a content smile on my face. “Damn, that hit the spot,” I sighed.

“You done already?” Ren asked, a smile on his face, “'cause I saved the best for last.”

“Oh, I really don’t think I have space for any-” I started, but stopped as Ren tossed over a small plastic bottle to me, the golden yellow liquid within sloshing as it flew.

I gasped as I read the label. “You didn’t!”

Ren grinned. “Saw a bottle as I was leaving the grocery. Thought you’d need something to lift your spirits, considering the day you’ve had.”

I smiled and drank greedily from the bottle, letting the tart taste spread over my tongue and mouth. I downed half the bottle in one swing, before putting the bottle down and letting out another small burp. “Thank you, Ren. Really.”

Ren waved away my thanks. “Eh, don’t mention it. Just doin’ my job.”

I scoffed sadly at that. “Oh please. Rosefire’s dead now. I’m no gang leader anymore.”

Ren smiled sagely as he looked at me. “Remember what I said to you the first time we met, about why you wanted strength?”

I nodded. “How my reason was better than wanting strength for fame or money because setbacks would only make my resolve stronger, right? Yeah, I remember.”

Ren didn’t continue, instead letting a peaceful quiet settle over us. I breathed out a long, deep sigh, lost in thought.

“Anyway, you’ve got lots of time to figure all that out. And I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” Ren said after letting me think for a while, “so go ahead, shoot.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve got plenty of questions. For starters, what in the world is going on?”

Ren chuckled. “Haven’t really figured that one out yet. But I guess I should start with everything you’ve missed. Oh, by the way, you’ve been out for about three days now.” Ren spoke casually, so it took me a second to fully understand what he said.

My face warped in confusion. “What? That doesn’t make sense. How am I still alive, if I’ve been out for three days. Was I at a hospital?”

Ren shook his head. “No, hospitals are no longer a thing, ever since the whole ‘world going to hell’ thing and all that. How you’ve survived, my best bet would be the crazy Revive you had back at the hotel. Revives vary in strength depending on how bad the injury is, so near-fatal wounds have some of the most powerful ones. But they also have the highest benefits, if you’re able to survive them, of course.”

I nodded in understanding. That much was common knowledge, available in the IG issued Flux handbooks present in every library. I’d spent long – and very boring – evenings pouring over those while I had been fighting for Fight House. Everything I knew about Flux and being a mage came from that book.

“Anyway, my guess would be that Revive toughened up your body enough to survive going three days without food.”

I pursed my lips, thinking, before nodding again. “Yeah, makes sense. No point worrying about it now, anyway. I’m still alive, and that's what's important. So, what’d I miss?”

“Well, after you knocked out in the middle of your Revive, I carried you down the hotel and into the closest neighborhood I could find. After that, I dumped you in an abandoned house,” Ren gestured broadly at the dilapidated room that we seemed to be in as he spoke. Likely an old living room if my guess was right. “Of course, after making sure it was completely safe. Totally didn’t forget to check for bugs until the day after.”

“Uh huh, I believe you,” I said, smiling.

Ren nodded. “Yup. As you should. Anyway, I spent the rest of the time either sleeping or out looking for food or information.”

“Really? What about the bugs? Are they not killing everything anymore?” I asked, a spark of hope in my voice.

“They moved on for the most part after the first day. I guess they killed as many as they needed to, because all the strong ones left. They’re still some small bugs here and there – by small I mean about the size of that baby cockroach that we fought – but they’re much weaker. Strong enough to kill non-mages, but the few that I’ve come across were really no big deal.”

My face sank again. “That probably means there aren’t many survivors, huh?”

“Oh, yeah,” Ren agreed nonchalantly. “I haven’t come across a single living person yet. I mean, I’m sure there are some people who’ve managed to luckily hide for the first day – like us – but I doubt they’ll survive long.”

I was silent for a moment, letting the information sink in. Life may have taught me to handle bizarre scenarios, but waking up to hear that the entire city had been murdered by mutant insects still took a minute to brush aside.

“Did you find anything else?” I asked finally.

“Not much really. Aside from what we kind’ve already knew: that this is basically the end of humanity, the way things are looking right now.”

“You mean, the end of humanity as we know it, right?”

“Nope, just straight up the end of humanity. Unless we get some serious help from some really powerful people, there is really no hope for the survival of humans.”

“I don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head. “What about the strongest of us, Razacon and Niaz and the like? Or even the people stronger than them, the ones you talked about.”

Ren smiled sadly. “The IG sent out a final message to the world, using the last bit of power or internet or whatever that they had. Eight of the strongest that the world has to offer fought five bugs, and the battle didn’t last longer than three hours. All eight are missing, assumed dead. The remaining mages have holed up in strongholds around the world, and the IG’s advice was to find one. But really, they were basically saying that the fight’s over. If those eight couldn’t hold off the bugs, then the rest of the mages, separated as they are, really have no chance.”

I was silent again for a while as I took in everything Ren was saying. It really was mind-boggling how quickly things had taken a turn for the worse.

“What about the person that’s doing this?” I asked. “Surely they have a higher reason than simply wiping out humanity, right? Have they said anything yet?”

Ren shook his head. “Nope. Not that I know of, anyway. I don’t know who’s behind this, but as far as I can tell, their only goal is the extinction of all other humans.”

I went quiet again, thinking.

“Kind’ve a downer, huh?” Ren said, chuckling.

I shook my head in wonder. “Do you ever take anything seriously?”

Ren smiled wide at that. “I try not to.”

Shaking my head again, I shoved away all the garbage around me and got up to my feet, stretching my arms as I did.

“Well, the world may be ending, but I, for one, am not gonna roll over and take it. But first, let’s head back to ol’Rusty. I wanna say bye properly.”

“You’re the boss,” Ren said, climbing up to his feet after me.

I chuckled. “Really, though, Ren. You saved my life, multiple times. I will never be able to thank you properly, but mark my words, I will repay you for this.”

Ren laughed again. “Like I said, just doin’ my job, boss.” Grabbing his walking stick, he started to make his way out of the house. Just as he was about to step out the doorway, however, he paused again, his back to me, his head tilted just barely to the side. “Besides,” he said, his voice taking on a rare sincerity, “you saved me first. I was just repaying the favor.”

He was out the door before I could respond, leaving me standing there, puzzling over his words.

Concluding that I would never figure out what he was talking about without more information, I decided to leave it alone and followed him through the door and into the cool night outside.

And instantly stopped in my tracks, my eyes glued to the heavens above me.

“What…what in the world is that?!” I asked, almost yelling in surprise. Sitting quietly up in the night sky, nestled in the embrace of sparkling stars sat what I could only describe as a jagged tear. With rough edges and an inky pool of black within, a scar almost twice the size of the moon sat centred in the sky, unlike anything I had ever seen before.

Ren chuckled from beside me. “Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. That happened, too.”

I laughed, still unable to tear my eyes away from the new heavenly attraction. “What…what is it?” I asked, my voice awed.

Ren shrugged. “No idea. Just showed up a while ago. There was a lot of shaking, thought it was an earthquake. And then that happened, and the shaking stopped. Didn’t really affect me though, so I didn’t pay it much attention. Though I do like it, to be honest. The same old moon and stars routine was getting old, y’know. 'bout time the sky got an update.”

“I mean, I love the moon, but I have to agree with you there. That is one beautiful sight.”

Suddenly, there was a strong tug on my hoodie, pulling me down and sideways. I crashed into Ren as he hunkered beside an abandoned car. Despite the surprise, I managed to keep quiet, fully aware that many dangerous things walked the streets now.

“Oh, yeah,” Ren whispered from beside me, “I forgot to mention. There’s more than just bugs now.”

I looked at him in surprise, my voice hushed. “What do you mean?”

Ren gestured with his head. “See for yourself.”

Confused, I slowly crept upwards from my crouch until I could see through the windows of the car.

It took me a second to make out the shape in the darkness, but eventually, as my eyes adjusted, I recognized the thing walking down the street as a wolf. An armored wolf, to be more specific. A biped, armored wolf, to be even more specific.

I quickly sank back down to Ren’s level, my heart beating a million miles an hour. “What in the world, Ren?”

Ren sported a wide smile as he observed my reaction. “I’d think you’d be used to this by now, Ruby. It's just another insane, bizarre thing that's happened.”

I took in a few deep breaths, calming myself, before nodding. “Yeah, you’re right. I should be used to this by now. But still, what are they?”

“No idea. They showed up a little after that rip thingy, along with a few other, new species. As far as I’ve seen, there are these humanoid wolf people, these really big eagle bird thingies, and a small group of people that look like normal humans, but they give off this really weird vibe, so I’m pretty sure they’re not.” Ren’s casual smile didn’t falter the entire time, like he was just telling me about the weather.

Speechless, I stared at Ren in silence for a moment, processing what he had said.

“And that doesn’t concern you at all?” I asked incredulously.

Ren shrugged. “Not really. Why should it?”

Silent for another moment, I eventually gave up and shrugged, too. “Yeah, fair point. Worrying about it isn’t going to get us any answers. Is there anything else that you forgot to mention?”

Ren looked pensive for a moment. “Not that I can think of right now,” he said finally.

“Oh, well that’s reassuring,” I said, sighing. “What about that wolf guy? Should we do anything about him? He looks like he’s coming our way, and he definitely doesn't look friendly.” The pointy spear in his hand certainly didn’t help make his image look less scary.

“Oh, yeah, those guys are definitely not friendly, but I don’t think they’re related to the bugs. I’m pretty sure they’re just here for territory or something. Either way, I got into a scuffle with ‘em yesterday because they wanted me out of the house and I didn't feel like leaving, but I think we reached a nice compromise. They aren’t unbeatable, but they aren’t easy to beat either. And those spears of theirs pack a punch, let me tell you.”

I let out a huff of laughter and shook my head again. “So you fought one of them, and still forgot to tell me about them?”

Ren had no answer, giving me only a cheeky smile in response.

“Ok, so what’s the plan?” I asked, switching back to the topic at hand.

“He’ll pass soon. As long as we don’t bother him, he won’t make trouble for us. He knows that this house is mine, and that it's too much of a hassle to try and kick me out of it,” Ren said.

“Alright, fine. Then why are we hiding from him?” I asked.

“If he sees another human here, he’s gonna go report it to his boss and then it's gonna be a whole 'nother hassle. Better to just hide until he leaves. They’re real gung ho about having no one else in their territory.”

A few minutes later, the armored wolfman had indeed gone, vanishing behind a bend in the street. Ren got up first, to make sure that the coast was clear, before ushering me up to my feet as well.

“Well, then. Let’s go see ol’Rusty one last time, shall we,” Ren said with gusto.

I smiled. “Speaking of which, do you know what happened to my people?” I asked as we began to walk. “Rosefire’s people? The ones who didn’t betray me, who Owen captured.”

The air around us suddenly changed, taking a sharp dive in temperature. I studied Ren’s back as he walked silently, his posture odd, uncharacteristically stiff. Rigid. I didn’t know why, but it did confirm one thing. Whatever it was that he had been hiding from me since I had woken up, it was related to this.

“I haven’t talked to any of them,” he said eventually.

His voice sounded off, weird.

I was silent for a minute, thinking. The soft squeak of our sneakers against the asphalt was the only thing that broke up the quiet of the suddenly lonely, dark night.

“You haven’t talked to them,” I said finally, parroting him.

“Yeah. Haven’t talked to them since.”

“You haven’t talked to them,” I repeated again.

“Yup,” Ren said.

“Why does that sound weird?” I asked.

“I dunno. You tell me.”

“You haven’t talked to them,” I said again. “But you have met them?”

 

Ren was silent again for a moment. “Met isn’t the word I’d use, exactly.”

“You’ve seen them, then?”

Ren breathed out a deep, audible sigh. “Yeah, yeah I saw them.”

“But you didn’t meet them.”

“Nope.”

I went quiet again, desperately trying to stave off the deep, dreadful feeling that was beginning to coil itself around my heart.

“Take me to them,” I said finally, my voice steely, hard. Carrying no hint of the raging waves of emotion within me.

“I am,” came Ren’s reply.

Silence once more descended upon us, only it was different this time. Somber, ominous.

Neither of us spoke again, content in the embrace of our uneasy silence. Our footsteps echoed in the abandoned streets, a desolate sound.

The streets of Toronto had never been so quiet, not once in all my life. It hurt me more than I thought it would, to see the city that had been my home for the last seven years so dead.

It took a few minutes, but eventually, we entered the neighborhood that had been Rosefire’s. Like the rest of the city, and possibly the world, it was utterly ravaged. Blood painted the walls, and the road was dotted with overturned, ruined vehicles. We found no humans on the way – or at least, none that were alive.

If seeing my city broken pinched my heart, then seeing the birthplace of Rosefire the same way was a dagger through it. This place was supposed to be the beginning of something amazing, something beautiful, I thought to myself sadly as I surveyed the ruined corner of my city. 

The place looked like it had been transported straight out of hell. No building, no store, no home had been spared. The residents, the people who had been under my care, whose protection I had taken upon myself, were likely all dead, their lives reaped like wheat by the merciless scythe of the insects.

“Don’t blame yourself,” came Ren’s voice suddenly, bringing me out of my guilty stupor.

“Hmm?”

“I know you think the people who died here are your fault, but they aren’t. There’s nothing you could have done that would have spared their lives. It’s a miracle we’re even alive.” His voice was quiet, monotone. Emotionless.

“I know,” I sighed. “I just wish there was something I could have done. I hate being so helpless.”

Ren huffed in agreement. “I know,” he said, his voice small and sad. It surprised me at first – that he had been feeling the same way as me, feeling that burden of a failed responsibility – but I realized it made sense. He'd been there, with me, every step of the way, after all. 

A minute later, we turned onto a street and were greeted by the dilapidated sight of ol’Rusty. It still stood, but just barely. Gigantic holes had been punctured into its rickety metal walls, leaving the building standing on shaky legs.

As we approached, the painful coil that had hung around my heart began to tighten, getting heavier and heavier, harder to ignore. Every step closer made the oppressive feeling of horror stronger, more stifling.

Then, just before we reached the door, Ren stopped and turned back to me, his face hewn from stone. “Before you go in, Ruby, I’ll ask you this. Are you sure you want to do this?”

At this point, there was no denying that I knew what would greet me inside that place, but I knew nonetheless that I had to see it myself. That no other choice was one that I could live with.

I nodded. “Yes. I need to see.”

Ren’s face softened, a rare genuine look coloring his expression. “For what it's worth, Ruby, I am sorry,” he said. And then he opened the door.