Protectors: Dark Days
written by T
Tohoak was left on the streets when she was six. Her parents hadn't wanted her because she was one of the growing population who had abilities. In this huge city she was taken in by the Protectors who keep the peace the best they can. Eight years later and she still can't control her powers. Now with her friends and mentors she faces the Decimators. A group of abilitied that are set out on taking over the city. But will the Protectors even stand a chance of being able to stop them with the Decimators' new and ruthless leader?
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
17
Reads
572
Prologue: The Protectors
Chapter 1
Prologue:
The protectors
Run. Run fast. Those were some of the most important words for Tohoak. She had learned that quickly. No one normal liked those with abilities. She had been dumped on the streets because of her powers. She was only six then. That had been three years ago. The first abilities came in the year 2025. That was when scientist found that some humans and animals had started to evolve. The years after that were rough. Humans with abilities separated, while normal humans despised them. The police and government had fallen and great cities were built from the ashes. The city where Tohoak lived was where a new type of government ruled. People here took care of themselves. There were regular rules, but only one leader for each section.
There were Protectors: a group with abilities that served as a type of police. They aided the normal humans in keeping the crime rate low, even when they weren’t welcome. The Protectors lived on the edge of the city in a dense forest. They also were constantly at war with the Decimators.
The Decimators were known for their cruel and evil ways. They were humans with abilities that chose the dark path and were also the main source of trouble in the city. They lived under the city in a catacomb of tunnels.
Then of course there were the Unabilitied: Humans with no abilities that had control of the city. They lived in fear of the Decimators, but were too prideful to accept the help Protectors offered.
Tohoak was in none of those groups. She minded her own. Though sometimes she couldn’t help, but wonder what it would be like to at least belong somewhere. To have a place she called her own. She didn’t know where the Protector’s or where the Decimator’s bases were. She considered herself lucky though. Some had visible abilities: green or purple skin color, webbed feet, animal eyes, strange things… At least no one knew she had abilities. She looked average: long brown hair and green eyes. She felt the chilly night air whip past her snapping her out of her thoughts. Buildings loomed over her casting an eerie glow on the street. She jerked to a stop darting into an alley as voices rung out ahead of her. Her breath came in gasp and she looked at what she had received from her running. A small loaf of bread was gripped tightly in her hands. The baker had never noticed her.
The loaf had gone cold, but she divided her attention from it to inspect the voices ahead. “Hurry, the entrance is just ahead,” she looked around the corner to see five people making their way down the street. In the lead was a tall and broad shouldered man. He had short amber hair and strange minty blue eyes.
“Hunter, are you sure about this?” a woman stepped up to his side. She had long wavy caramel colored hair and vivid green eyes. Hunter glanced at her, but didn’t stop walking.
“Kydlin, if there are kids down there, we need to help them. The Decimators can’t be allowed to disobey the laws any longer,” he said. They were getting too close. Tohoak backed down the alley slowly. She continued to walk down the next street. The weather was cold tonight, but she couldn’t feel it. Ripping the bread off in small pieces, she began to slowly eat it savoring every bite. It wasn’t often she got a meal.
She let out a small yelp as the ground crumbled beneath her. There had been accounts of when the street or sidewalk had given out and fallen straight to the tunnels underneath. Now she was experiencing it. Her yep turned into a scream as she fell straight down, rocks battering her. She landed with a small cry and held her hands up to shield her from extra falling rocks. Using her power, she drew from the shadows around her and suddenly there was a makeshift black shield taking the impact of the rocks instead of her. That was her known ability. She was able to take the shadows of items around her and manipulate them into solid objects. Her focus came back to where she was.
Her breath was ragged and the air was dry. She looked around through the dust. She was in the tunnels. Decimators would find her here. Getting out of here was her key priority. She went rigid as the dust cleared. In front of her was the group from the street. The rocks cut her hands as she scramble onto her feet. Hunter looked at her curiously.
“Are you a Decimator?” he asked with an air of command. She held her head high and stared him in the eye.
“No. Are you?” she tried to make herself look as threatening as possible. He gave a friendly and admirable smile.
“No,” he gestured to his small group, “we are all Protectors,” Tohoak frowned wondering why Protectors were down here.
“We need to hurry, the Decimators could have heard the collapse,” Kydlin said allowing herself one curious glance at Tohoak. He nodded then gave a signal to the group to continue on. He stayed behind for a moment.
“You’re very little to be living on the streets. You should come with us back to camp.” he offered. She shook her head quickly. He shrugged almost disappointedly. “If you change your mind…… We’re here because we hear the Decimators are taking children in against their will. We know one of their locations so we’re going to try and help. We’ll be that way if you decide differently,” he nodded after his group then with a sad smile he hurried after them. Tohoak stared after him. She didn’t really want to get caught up in all this did she? She wanted a home. She wanted to stop running, but to devote herself to understanding the abilities that ruined her life? Did she really need a home? A family? Up ahead she heard a loud noise. The Protectors had most likely just invaded the holding camp of the Decimators. Her heart beat fast.
She ran down the tunnel finding a large opening into a big room. The five Protectors were fighting valiantly against seven Decimators. Kydlin’s eyes glowed and whips of lights extended from her hand, striking her opponent. There was one other woman and two other men in Hunter’s group. Tohoak scanned the walls and found cells alongside them. She moved to the first one. There was a girl inside about Tohoak’s own age. She had medium length black and brown hair and dark brown eyes. A strange cuff was on her left wrist.
“Get me out!” the girl growled spotting Tohoak. Tohoak nodded and looked at the latch. Her heart raced. She was far from her comfort zone. Putting her hands as close to it as she could, she concentrated hard. The shadows of the cell came to her hand and they wrapped around the lock. After a moment the lock gave a squeal and it popped. The girl smiled gratefully.
“Thank you so much! I’m Lacy by the way. Stupid Decimators!” she spat. “The cuff keeps me from using my powers can you get it off as well?” she asked. Tohoak nodded warily. She didn’t want to hurt this girl. She held the cuff in her hands and let the shadows curl around it making it crack. Lacy winced as the shadows inched across the cuff. It snapped and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Will you help me with the others?” Tohoak asked as Lacy flexed her hands. Lacy nodded.
“Of course,” They both split to the opposite sides of the room and began freeing the other kids. In the next cage Tohoak stared at the boy inside. He was her age maybe older. He had kind grey eyes and dark short hair, but that wasn’t what made her stare. Huge pitch black wings were curled in between his shoulder blades. He stood up when he saw her, looking hopeful. She opened his cage and he was out in an instant, moving toward the one beside his.
“Open this one. Please,” he said looking back at her. Tohoak moved to his side and looked in the cage. There were two other children inside much younger than her. They seemed to be around three. She did as she was told using the shadows to crack the latch. The cage popped open and the boy ran inside. He hugged the toddlers tightly then broke off their cuffs. “Thank you,” he stood up and looked at her gratefully. “I’m Kyle,” he said with a nod.
“Tohoak,” she replied. Lacy poked her head in the cage.
“All the kids are out. Let’s go!” she said urgently. Tohoak looked up and nodded.
“Okay, on our way!” She helped Kyle carrier the young girl and boy after the others. Two protectors escorted the rush of kids toward an exit. There was a loud bang and she stopped when a sharp cry of pain echoed through the room. That had been a gun. She had heard rumors that some Decimators had acquired such weapons, but she hadn’t believed them. Guns had been banned for a long while. After the first abilities arose guns had caused large problems. Before the government had fallen they had destroyed every firearm they could. She turned to see Hunter gripping his side. Kydlin and the other Protectors were busy holding off their own attackers leaving him defenseless. Tohoak watched in despair as the Decimator raised the gun again.
“Lacy! Take her and get out,” Tohoak handed the toddler she was carrying to the other girl. Then before Lacy could ask any questions, she ran as fast as she could. The Decimator smiled victoriously and put his finger to the trigger.
“The leader of the Protectors; am I lucky!” he said in a sneer. Hunter’s side screamed with pain, but he glared at the Decimator bravely. He would at least face his death without fear. Bang! The gun went off. Tohoak push the Decimator away from Hunter as the gun fired. She saw Hunter’s eyes widen with surprise and she felt a small sense of dignity. The gun fell out of the Decimator’s hands and he faced her with fury. Tohoak shrank back fear overcoming her. Then she snapped to her senses. She could fight him. She was strong. Her emotions filled her and a dark light flickered dangerously in her eyes. He laughed and suddenly disappeared. He had the power of invisibility. Tohoak looked around warily.
“To your right!” Hunter said behind her. His voice was strained with pain. Tohoak didn’t question him. She struck out to her right letting some of the shadows of the room mold to her fist. It would make her hit with more power and it would protect her fist. She connected. There was a shimmer in front of her and a grunt as the man felt her fist hit his side. The shadows faded away as he became visible and punched her. She fell backwards with a yelp. Terror raced through her and her face stung. Why did she ever think she could help? She was just a young girl and she couldn’t even control her power well. It went as fast as her emotions changed. The Decimator loomed over her angrily. Hunter moved in front of her. He looked weak and barely able to defend himself. Why was he trying to help her? The Decimator let out another harsh laugh.
“I’ll finish you both off then,” he looked toward the gun then back at Hunter. Tohoak scramble to her feet hastily, but it was too late. He already had the gun. Hunter backed up slowly signaling her to do the same. Tohoak’s eyes were wide and her mouth hung open. Were they going to die she wondered.
The gun was sliced in half as Kydlin slashed one of her whips through it. Hunter let his defense down, falling onto his knees. He gripped his side tightly as waves of pain rolled through him. Kydlin glanced back at him worry covering her face. He didn’t look good.
“Get him out of here. Now!” she called to a pair of Protectors who were escorting the kids to the exit. The last of the kids had just disappeared through the tunnel. The two looked over at Kydlin then once seeing Hunter on his knees and bleeding they raced over. It was a man and a woman. The man helped Hunter onto his feet speaking words of reassurance, while the woman focused her attention on Tohoak.
“Hurry! More Decimators are coming!” Kydlin called as she dodged a swing from the Decimator. Tohoak wonder if Kydlin was capable of taking care of herself, but she didn’t have time to question her. The other Protector wasted no time in scooping up Tohoak and running with her to the tunnel entrance. Behind them she could hear shouts of alarm as the rest of the Decimators entered the room. Kydlin ran up behind them a nasty scratch down the right side of her face. She got on the other side of Hunter helping hold him up as they raced out into the street. Tohoak spared a glimpse back to see a man standing in the entrance to the tunnels. His eyes met hers and they glowed darkly. Then the Protectors turned the corner and he was gone. What had she gotten herself into?
Note: I apologize for the format. I pasted it from a different app. Hope it doesn’t effect anything! More chapters will be posted soon!! Hope you like it!
The protectors
Run. Run fast. Those were some of the most important words for Tohoak. She had learned that quickly. No one normal liked those with abilities. She had been dumped on the streets because of her powers. She was only six then. That had been three years ago. The first abilities came in the year 2025. That was when scientist found that some humans and animals had started to evolve. The years after that were rough. Humans with abilities separated, while normal humans despised them. The police and government had fallen and great cities were built from the ashes. The city where Tohoak lived was where a new type of government ruled. People here took care of themselves. There were regular rules, but only one leader for each section.
There were Protectors: a group with abilities that served as a type of police. They aided the normal humans in keeping the crime rate low, even when they weren’t welcome. The Protectors lived on the edge of the city in a dense forest. They also were constantly at war with the Decimators.
The Decimators were known for their cruel and evil ways. They were humans with abilities that chose the dark path and were also the main source of trouble in the city. They lived under the city in a catacomb of tunnels.
Then of course there were the Unabilitied: Humans with no abilities that had control of the city. They lived in fear of the Decimators, but were too prideful to accept the help Protectors offered.
Tohoak was in none of those groups. She minded her own. Though sometimes she couldn’t help, but wonder what it would be like to at least belong somewhere. To have a place she called her own. She didn’t know where the Protector’s or where the Decimator’s bases were. She considered herself lucky though. Some had visible abilities: green or purple skin color, webbed feet, animal eyes, strange things… At least no one knew she had abilities. She looked average: long brown hair and green eyes. She felt the chilly night air whip past her snapping her out of her thoughts. Buildings loomed over her casting an eerie glow on the street. She jerked to a stop darting into an alley as voices rung out ahead of her. Her breath came in gasp and she looked at what she had received from her running. A small loaf of bread was gripped tightly in her hands. The baker had never noticed her.
The loaf had gone cold, but she divided her attention from it to inspect the voices ahead. “Hurry, the entrance is just ahead,” she looked around the corner to see five people making their way down the street. In the lead was a tall and broad shouldered man. He had short amber hair and strange minty blue eyes.
“Hunter, are you sure about this?” a woman stepped up to his side. She had long wavy caramel colored hair and vivid green eyes. Hunter glanced at her, but didn’t stop walking.
“Kydlin, if there are kids down there, we need to help them. The Decimators can’t be allowed to disobey the laws any longer,” he said. They were getting too close. Tohoak backed down the alley slowly. She continued to walk down the next street. The weather was cold tonight, but she couldn’t feel it. Ripping the bread off in small pieces, she began to slowly eat it savoring every bite. It wasn’t often she got a meal.
She let out a small yelp as the ground crumbled beneath her. There had been accounts of when the street or sidewalk had given out and fallen straight to the tunnels underneath. Now she was experiencing it. Her yep turned into a scream as she fell straight down, rocks battering her. She landed with a small cry and held her hands up to shield her from extra falling rocks. Using her power, she drew from the shadows around her and suddenly there was a makeshift black shield taking the impact of the rocks instead of her. That was her known ability. She was able to take the shadows of items around her and manipulate them into solid objects. Her focus came back to where she was.
Her breath was ragged and the air was dry. She looked around through the dust. She was in the tunnels. Decimators would find her here. Getting out of here was her key priority. She went rigid as the dust cleared. In front of her was the group from the street. The rocks cut her hands as she scramble onto her feet. Hunter looked at her curiously.
“Are you a Decimator?” he asked with an air of command. She held her head high and stared him in the eye.
“No. Are you?” she tried to make herself look as threatening as possible. He gave a friendly and admirable smile.
“No,” he gestured to his small group, “we are all Protectors,” Tohoak frowned wondering why Protectors were down here.
“We need to hurry, the Decimators could have heard the collapse,” Kydlin said allowing herself one curious glance at Tohoak. He nodded then gave a signal to the group to continue on. He stayed behind for a moment.
“You’re very little to be living on the streets. You should come with us back to camp.” he offered. She shook her head quickly. He shrugged almost disappointedly. “If you change your mind…… We’re here because we hear the Decimators are taking children in against their will. We know one of their locations so we’re going to try and help. We’ll be that way if you decide differently,” he nodded after his group then with a sad smile he hurried after them. Tohoak stared after him. She didn’t really want to get caught up in all this did she? She wanted a home. She wanted to stop running, but to devote herself to understanding the abilities that ruined her life? Did she really need a home? A family? Up ahead she heard a loud noise. The Protectors had most likely just invaded the holding camp of the Decimators. Her heart beat fast.
She ran down the tunnel finding a large opening into a big room. The five Protectors were fighting valiantly against seven Decimators. Kydlin’s eyes glowed and whips of lights extended from her hand, striking her opponent. There was one other woman and two other men in Hunter’s group. Tohoak scanned the walls and found cells alongside them. She moved to the first one. There was a girl inside about Tohoak’s own age. She had medium length black and brown hair and dark brown eyes. A strange cuff was on her left wrist.
“Get me out!” the girl growled spotting Tohoak. Tohoak nodded and looked at the latch. Her heart raced. She was far from her comfort zone. Putting her hands as close to it as she could, she concentrated hard. The shadows of the cell came to her hand and they wrapped around the lock. After a moment the lock gave a squeal and it popped. The girl smiled gratefully.
“Thank you so much! I’m Lacy by the way. Stupid Decimators!” she spat. “The cuff keeps me from using my powers can you get it off as well?” she asked. Tohoak nodded warily. She didn’t want to hurt this girl. She held the cuff in her hands and let the shadows curl around it making it crack. Lacy winced as the shadows inched across the cuff. It snapped and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Will you help me with the others?” Tohoak asked as Lacy flexed her hands. Lacy nodded.
“Of course,” They both split to the opposite sides of the room and began freeing the other kids. In the next cage Tohoak stared at the boy inside. He was her age maybe older. He had kind grey eyes and dark short hair, but that wasn’t what made her stare. Huge pitch black wings were curled in between his shoulder blades. He stood up when he saw her, looking hopeful. She opened his cage and he was out in an instant, moving toward the one beside his.
“Open this one. Please,” he said looking back at her. Tohoak moved to his side and looked in the cage. There were two other children inside much younger than her. They seemed to be around three. She did as she was told using the shadows to crack the latch. The cage popped open and the boy ran inside. He hugged the toddlers tightly then broke off their cuffs. “Thank you,” he stood up and looked at her gratefully. “I’m Kyle,” he said with a nod.
“Tohoak,” she replied. Lacy poked her head in the cage.
“All the kids are out. Let’s go!” she said urgently. Tohoak looked up and nodded.
“Okay, on our way!” She helped Kyle carrier the young girl and boy after the others. Two protectors escorted the rush of kids toward an exit. There was a loud bang and she stopped when a sharp cry of pain echoed through the room. That had been a gun. She had heard rumors that some Decimators had acquired such weapons, but she hadn’t believed them. Guns had been banned for a long while. After the first abilities arose guns had caused large problems. Before the government had fallen they had destroyed every firearm they could. She turned to see Hunter gripping his side. Kydlin and the other Protectors were busy holding off their own attackers leaving him defenseless. Tohoak watched in despair as the Decimator raised the gun again.
“Lacy! Take her and get out,” Tohoak handed the toddler she was carrying to the other girl. Then before Lacy could ask any questions, she ran as fast as she could. The Decimator smiled victoriously and put his finger to the trigger.
“The leader of the Protectors; am I lucky!” he said in a sneer. Hunter’s side screamed with pain, but he glared at the Decimator bravely. He would at least face his death without fear. Bang! The gun went off. Tohoak push the Decimator away from Hunter as the gun fired. She saw Hunter’s eyes widen with surprise and she felt a small sense of dignity. The gun fell out of the Decimator’s hands and he faced her with fury. Tohoak shrank back fear overcoming her. Then she snapped to her senses. She could fight him. She was strong. Her emotions filled her and a dark light flickered dangerously in her eyes. He laughed and suddenly disappeared. He had the power of invisibility. Tohoak looked around warily.
“To your right!” Hunter said behind her. His voice was strained with pain. Tohoak didn’t question him. She struck out to her right letting some of the shadows of the room mold to her fist. It would make her hit with more power and it would protect her fist. She connected. There was a shimmer in front of her and a grunt as the man felt her fist hit his side. The shadows faded away as he became visible and punched her. She fell backwards with a yelp. Terror raced through her and her face stung. Why did she ever think she could help? She was just a young girl and she couldn’t even control her power well. It went as fast as her emotions changed. The Decimator loomed over her angrily. Hunter moved in front of her. He looked weak and barely able to defend himself. Why was he trying to help her? The Decimator let out another harsh laugh.
“I’ll finish you both off then,” he looked toward the gun then back at Hunter. Tohoak scramble to her feet hastily, but it was too late. He already had the gun. Hunter backed up slowly signaling her to do the same. Tohoak’s eyes were wide and her mouth hung open. Were they going to die she wondered.
The gun was sliced in half as Kydlin slashed one of her whips through it. Hunter let his defense down, falling onto his knees. He gripped his side tightly as waves of pain rolled through him. Kydlin glanced back at him worry covering her face. He didn’t look good.
“Get him out of here. Now!” she called to a pair of Protectors who were escorting the kids to the exit. The last of the kids had just disappeared through the tunnel. The two looked over at Kydlin then once seeing Hunter on his knees and bleeding they raced over. It was a man and a woman. The man helped Hunter onto his feet speaking words of reassurance, while the woman focused her attention on Tohoak.
“Hurry! More Decimators are coming!” Kydlin called as she dodged a swing from the Decimator. Tohoak wonder if Kydlin was capable of taking care of herself, but she didn’t have time to question her. The other Protector wasted no time in scooping up Tohoak and running with her to the tunnel entrance. Behind them she could hear shouts of alarm as the rest of the Decimators entered the room. Kydlin ran up behind them a nasty scratch down the right side of her face. She got on the other side of Hunter helping hold him up as they raced out into the street. Tohoak spared a glimpse back to see a man standing in the entrance to the tunnels. His eyes met hers and they glowed darkly. Then the Protectors turned the corner and he was gone. What had she gotten herself into?
Note: I apologize for the format. I pasted it from a different app. Hope it doesn’t effect anything! More chapters will be posted soon!! Hope you like it!
