• Moonlight bathed the girl in silver light as she sat at the old piano, her thin fingers dancing along the yellowed keys as she played a loud but melancholy tune. Crows cawed from outside as they flew in a frenzy. People yelled in an inhuman language in the street below, glass broke from the floor below her as she continued to play. Footsteps echoed through the stairway, someone pounded on the iron bars on the room’s door. “Hey let me in! Please let me in! They’re coming!” A frantic voice said. The girl stopped playing and stood. she silently crossed the bare room and unlocked the door. A young man ran into the room panting, he looked up at the girl and smiled. “Thanks, I thought I was dead for a second there.” The girl stared at him her long raven hair surrounding her face like a veil. “My name’s Ethan, what’s yours?”
    “Mitsune,” she said as she walked over to the piano.
    “I heard you playing from the street, that’s how I found you.” Ethan said as he watched her. Mitsune nodded and began to play.
    “So, what are you playing?”
    “It’s called with what you have.”
    “Oh. You’re not much of a talker are you?”
    “No.”
    Well, umm it’s a really nice song. I think.”
    Mitsune stopped playing and looked up at Ethan. a smile split her face as she began to laugh. Ethan ran a hand through his dirty hair as he stared at Mitsune. “God you’re stupid, funny but stupid.” She said whenever she stopped laughing.
    “What’d I do?”
    “Oh never mind, I think I’m just going crazy.”
    Ethan laughed nervously, never taking his eyes off of her. A bottle smashed against the window, both of them jumped at the sound. “Stupid crazy bastards,” Mitsune hissed under her breath. “Yeah, I still can’t believe it’s been three years since all of this started to. Apparently mobs have broken out in Europe and Asia now. I heard a bunch of religious nut jobs on the radio talking about it.” Ethan said with a sad sigh.
    Mistune bitterly laughed,” I bet they are having a field day with this. Probably saying, we told you so, we told you so. It’s 2012 and the majority of the human population is dead because of people who went insane and started killing everything in front of them.”
    Ethan laughed, “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
    “So why are you here? This is one of the most dangerous places in New York. I mean, just look outside, you can’t go two feet without running into one of those freaks.”
    “I’m making my way up north, you know, out of the city.”
    “You won’t make it,” She said as she walked over to the room’s small window.
    “Sure I will, we’ll both make it.”
    Mitsune turned to him, “what do you mean we?”
    “I’m not going to just leave you here,” Ethan said as he walked over to her.
    “Why not? I’m fine here. I’m safe here, you can go get yourself killed but I’m sure as hell not.”
    More people yelled from the street below, bricks smashed into the walls around the room’s small window.
    “Mitsune watch it!”
    A brick crashed through the window, hitting her in the back of the head. Mitsune fell to the ground unconscious.

    Mitsune slowly opened her eyes, the sun greeted her with its hot glare. “Where am I?” she asked in a dazed voice.
    Ethan chuckled as he continued to run, “on my back, you’re little hideout wasn’t as safe as you thought it was. They attacked this morning, I barley had time to grab you before they broke through the door. Mitsune’s attention snapped to the angry shout behind them, bricks, bottles and everything else the mob could find was being thrown at them. “Put me down. I’m more than capable of running.” She said as she hit Ethan’s shoulder. Ethan quickly put her on the ground and began to run again. Birds flew around them in a mad frenzy, some getting tangled in Mitsune’s long hair. “s**t,” Ethan hissed, he grabbed her arm and led her into a nearby building. “What’s wrong?” she whispered worry on her face. “They have dogs, I could see them waiting at the end of the street,” he hissed. Mitsune’s face went blank, her eyes filled with a faraway look. “Hey, Hey!” he hissed as he shook her. Mitsune’s eyes came back into focus, “don’t let them get me. I don’t want to end up like Nora,” she pleaded, her eyes becoming moist. Ethan hugged her, animal like shouts came from outside.
    “I won’t, I promise.”
    Glass broke around them, birds flew into the building some fell to the ground, dead.
    Nails, clicked on the old tile floor, growls came from behind them.
    Mitsune screamed as a large hairless dog jumped at them.
    The dog sank its teeth into Ethan’s arm as he tried to get it away from Mitsune.
    Another dog ran into the room, in panic Mitsune bolted for the door. The dog lunged at her, she screamed as the dog sank its teeth into her leg. The dog dragged her to the ground as she continued to scream. The dog yelped, there was a wet cracking noise.
    Ethan lifted Mitsune from the ground, her white dress was spotted with red, blood ran from her neck, her eyes began to take on a far away look as they glazed over. “A-Are they gone? Are we safe?” she croaked as she looked up at Ethan.
    He stroked her face, “yeah, we’re safe. Everything’s gonna be fine,” he said in a soft voice. Mitsune smiled up at him, her eyes beginning to dim, “so we made it? Did Nora make it to? Did she get away from the dogs?”
    A tear ran from the corner of Ethan’s eye as he held her, “yeah, she did, the dogs are all gone, we’re all safe.” Mitsune gave a soft laugh, her eyes darkened as her head fell to the side. With bitter tears flowing from his eyes Ethan stood, Mitsune’s long hair fell over his arms as he carried her outside. Ethan walked to the center of the ruined street. He gently placed her on the ground and began to walk towards the mob that was running towards the end of the street.