The City of Strays

By J. A. Parrish

Waking to find the world changing each day, Jerrod struggles to find out why he appears to be the only one who notices. While trying to understand what is happening to The City, Jerrod discovers that the woman of his dreams is real, but so is the danger that she is running from.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. A. Parrish
• Release date: Feb 13, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458192776

J. A. Parrish

J. A. Parrish is a part-time writer, teacher, and CG Artist. Besides creative storytelling, J. A. writes and develops books and educational materials about CG Art and 3D Animation production. A fan of fantasy, science fiction, and classic folklore, J. A. likes to develop stories rooted in reality, with a touch of the fantastic, focusing on characters and the choices they make. While he has mostly focused in longer format storytelling, short stories and children's books may be in the works. iBooks By J. A. Parrish https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/jeremy-a.-parrish/id507724058?mt=11

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The City of

Strays

By Jeremy A. Parrish

•2nd Edition•

*****

Smashwords Edition

Copyright - 2010 • Jeremy A. Parrish

*****

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the aforementioned copyright owner and author of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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Chapter 01 . The End

It wasn't cold out, but I still shivered. Kris took my hand and pressed it to her cheek. It's alright, she said. Her cheek warmed my palm, but I could still feel it tremble, as she shivered. I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, until her cheek touched mine. All around us, the city slowly fell into darkness. As we stared out over the city, the color seemed to melt and fade with each passing moment. The city was dying, one block at a time. Kris' grip tightened. She pressed her face into my shoulder.

Jerrod, she said, squeezing my hand until the bones creaked.

I stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. Her hair was fragrant and sweet, like peaches. It tickled my nose. I love peaches. Kris loosened her grip and turned to face the city. It was almost gone.

I won't lose you, she said. I promise.

I smiled and kissed her. I know, I said.

A tear ran down her cheek, as the buildings on the city's edge faded from sight. I couldn't believe how fast it had all happened. I couldn't believe that it had taken me so long to notice. I still didn't understand it all, but there was no time left. My life in the city had been a lie, a dream from which there had been no waking. For all we knew, we were about to enter into the nightmare. We had no idea where we'd go when the city was gone. I didn't really care, as long as we went together. I'd spent more than enough time alone. I didn't really have much of a choice then, but no matter what, this time... the choice was going to be mine. I'd had enough of the darkness to last a lifetime.

Chapter 02 . Cracking Crate

I'd never dreamt, but I was dreaming. One minute I'm brushing my teeth in my apartment, and the next, I'm in a warehouse surrounded by boxes, boots, and brawn. I had to be dreaming. All around me, I could hear them marching in perfect sync. The sound of each step echoed. It was dark, too dark to see the walls. The only illumination came from single points of light, dangling from cables which disappeared into the darkness above. I was on a path, carved out amongst hundreds, maybe even thousands of crates. Someone spoke, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I don't speak either, but it may have been a strange mix of French and German. It was barely audible. It was like the final echo of an unintentional whisper. Whatever it was, it was coming my way. It was getting close, too close. I crouched down and slid into the darkness of a hollow. Amidst the crates, I'd drawn myself up into a tight crouch, carefully making sure that every part of me had been enveloped in the darkness cast by the crated hollow. I was hidden. I was sure of it, but I was also trapped. My body felt heavy. My muscles tensed and strained against my skin. My fingers clenched and dug into the dirt on the floor, as I felt the floor tremble beneath me. It was getting louder. And as it did, it resolved itself into a they. They were getting closer. Pressed so close to the floor, their approach thundered in my ears, like an approaching storm. Shadows had begun to gather at the mouth of the hollow and my heart pounded in my chest. One by one the shadows passed. I closed my eyes and waited, until the thunder of boots had dissolved into a low rumble in the distance. By the time that I opened my eyes, the marching had trailed off, a distant echo of the abating storm. I let out a sigh and my heart had begun to settle into a mildly excited rhythm, until something moved at the mouth of the hollow.

Hello... Is someone there, asked a voice?

A slender form stepped into the opening of the hollow. It was a woman. The light was at her back and shadows covered her face,as her voice pierced the darkness around her. Even in silhouette, her eyes sparkled.

Hi. She said. It's alright, they're gone.

She stepped backward into the light, cast by the overhead lights. My heart leapt, beating faster than I imagined was healthy. The light unveiled her face, as she moved out of the hollow. She had dark hair, which draped just below her shoulders. Her eyes were a deep brown, with flecks of gold and amber. She smiled. I heard myself gasp. She gestured for me to come forward. Before I'd decided to do so, I was standing. We looked at each other, for what seemed like an eternity. Then, she took my hand and led me out onto the path. My heart pounded so loud in my ears that I was surprised that she hadn't covered her ears to dull the sound. She turned to peer down the path outside of the hollow. Her hair swept down off of her shoulders, which were bare. I felt my heart skip a beat. She turned to me and said something, but I didn't hear it. I couldn't stop looking into her eyes. Still staring, I pointed to myself and said, Jerrod. She chuckled, then pointed to herself and said, K. I'm pretty sure that there was a stupid grin on my face, because she laughed with a little snort, as she tried to preserve her composure, which made me laugh.

As I looked into her eyes, the lights began to flicker. K looked up at the lights, as a small pout flashed across her lips. There's never enough time, she said. She let go of my hand and backed away. Wait, I yelled! The crates around use shuddered and strained under their own weight. Their sides began to splinter and crack. K's eyes widened as she pointed up at something behind me, on the path. Further down and high above the path, one of the lights blinked violently, as the bulb exploded. A moment later, the fixture tore free from the ceiling and crashed on to the path below. Then the crates adjacent to the fallen fixture shattered into a spray of wooden daggers, falling a few feet short of us. K backed away, staring at the crate fragments.

It's alright, we're fine. It wasn't even close, I said.

As soon as I'd said it, a wave of doubt washed over me, which was soon justified. One after the other, the lights on the path began to flicker and spark. I turned to K to tell her to run, but she was already several yards away gesturing for me to follow. No sooner had I moved, when sparks began to rain down from the fixture above the hollow. Several crates exploded behind me, throwing me to the floor and launching wooden shards into the air overhead. K screamed.

Get up! Run!

Splintered wood and sparks fell all around me. The nearest fixture crashed to the floor on either side of me, blanketing me in a glittering downpour of flaming glass.

Several shards tore into my legs and sides, just before the crates around me erupted in my face. The warehouse, the sparks, the crates, and K faded into darkness.

Chapter 03 . Creeping Dawn

I woke up soaked with sweat, dizzy from all that had happened. I could still feel the fixture's glass grinding into my limbs. I reached down to touch the glass sticking to my thigh. I brushed my hand along their coarse edges, wary of jagged daggers, if any, protruding from and into my flesh. After several passes, over both legs, all I found were sandy clusters and clumps of sweat soaked crumbs from the cookie that I'd eaten before bed. I sighed, relieved that it had been a dream, but woeful that K had