• Adrian turned her head to the side as she moved a few mere feet from the body. Her left arm wrung around her stomach muscles as she felt them contract, pain surging through her veins. She struggled to push the emotion away but instead collapsed to her knees as her body felt a tremor fly through her spinal cord. After a few seconds, she began to dry heave into the earth red dust. The sight was too much for her to handle and it showed all too much.

    Her body quavered two or three times as she made a retching sound, trying to get the smell and image to leave her conscious mind. It wasn’t working too well at the moment, a fact that was clearer than day itself. A light hand lay upon her shoulder as her right hand plummeted to the ground and smacked against the dark dust. The fingertips gripped her shoulder a bit tighter, trying to give her a bit of comfort. Her mind was swimming around with pain and uneasiness that would take more than one person to heal.

    Quickly, her thoughts switched over to who was the real culprit behind this cruel joke. Anymore it wasn’t a game, it was pure survival. They had to run on adrenaline if they hoped to live. Food was now scarce and even if it was found, it was typically contaminated. All of this was their fault. Her bare fingers gripped the dirt in annoyance, trying to make the horrid thoughts retreat from her mind completely.

    Three months ago their lives were changed forever. It wasn’t anything like they had expected, nor thought would happen. Through the outrage of other countries a war had been started. And it wasn’t just any world war; every single country was involved. Japan had kept a secret from other countries for nearly fifty years. Information they had decided not to release. In Antarctica they had a large microbiological building that held no disease any person had ever thought of before. Worse than the Black plague, worse than Smallpox and Scarlet Fever put combined. This was unlike any other. It was now the time of the Blood Ring.

    After the few thoughts managed to slip through Adrian’s mind, she was helped to her feet by a familiar face. Black hair nearly covered the male’s eyes as his pale lips curved into a partial smile. Her face was blank and refused to show emotion of any kind. It was so much different now that the Blood Ring was in existence. She trembled once and then turned around to look behind herself. Adrian’s eyes pierced through the thick rays of sunlight that shone around them, attempting to find something worthwhile. Seconds passed when she noticed a silhouette on the horizon. Her grey eyes squinted at the image, trying to guess what it was.

    Moments later, she licked her cracked lips and spoke in a hoarse voice, “Gale, what is that?”

    Her eyes remained locked on the object as it appeared to near at a greater speed than most would anticipate. Gale spun on his heels and stared the dark object down as well. Right when he noticed what the object was, his eyes widened in horror. His fingers moved swiftly down to his side as he produced a shining, silver revolver. He loaded it in a matter of moments and then stood with his arm dangling along his side. The gun rested against his thigh as he refused to move his eyes from the object that was nearing them.

    “That," He began as his gun lifted from his side and pointed to the object, “Is food.”

    His sentence ended and his arm dropped back down to his side. Gale spoke the words nonchalantly, looking forward to the battle with the figure that was quickly approaching on a coal black horse. Adrian nodded in approval as she looked to the body that was near them. She quivered in her place and moved a few steps to the left to avoid the body. Gale caught the movement from the corner of his eyes and moved closer to her as she moved away. It was easily understandable that she didn’t want to be near Sophie’s body; he didn’t want to be near it either.