new series- chp. 1

Desolation.
Never a pretty word.
However, in the year 2015, it has replaced everything on this planet.
A few days prior, Iraq had unleashed it's nuclear bomb. It headed towards the U.S, and crashed right into a nuclear power plant. They both exploded, washing Earth in horrid nuclear waves. The adults were hit hardest, and anyone over 20 was immediately asyphxiated by the gas that followed the waves. Those over 17 were turned into horrible monstrosities called Shufflers, for their queer shuffling gait. A small group of children survived, however, and has banded together in the wastes that were once New York city. Here, their story begins...

Seree coughed as she emerged from the rubble she had called home. She pushed boards off of her bruised, 14-year-old body, keeping her eyes closed. When she opened them, she didn't want to believe what had happened to her small suburban neighborhood. The houses were heaps of broken boards and smased concrete, just like her own. Her deep green eyes widened at the destruction, and immediately filled with tears. A choking sob racked her body, and she dropped to her knees among her splintered furniture and broken keepsakes. She let two tears fall, then got up to explore what was left of her house.
Seree walked in different rooms, now only a couple of beams standing up to indicate where they were. "Mom?" She called, her voice quivering in the chilly November air. The sky was grey, and she could see it through the roof of her house. "Mom!" She screamed, frantic now. She ran through her kitchen, and into her living room. "MOM!!" She screamed again. She glanced around hysterically, then spotted something gleaming. It was her mother's emerald bracelet. A small whimper came from her lips as she dashed to her mother's side. She tried unsuccessfully to pull the biggest boards off of her, then resorted to just pulling the rubbled away from her mother's face.
Seree's mother looked as if she was sleeping peacefully, but Seree knew better. "Mom!" She cried, shaking her mother's shoulder. "C'mon, Mom, you're going to be late for work..." Seree managed to choke out, before she dissolved into tears. She buried her face into her mother's neck, and cried until night fell.
Seree finally got up, and searched for a blanket. She covered her mother's body with it, and kissed her on the cheek before covering the face. She got up again, and suddenly heard a peculiar moaning. She brushed her brown hair out of her eyes, and whirled around, trying to locate the sound. A figure emerged from the darkness, it's body warped and twisted. Seree gasped and staggered back from the monster lumbering toward her. It was human once, but the nuclear exploxion had mutated it beyond recognition. It's head was fused directly to its shoulder, and its eyes were a milky white. It's arms were elongated, it's fingers dragging along the dusty ground. It's legs were bent at the knees, and it walked with a peculiar shuffle. It's lips opened to reveal pallid, ghostly gums and sharp black teeth.
It raised it's head, sniffing the air with it's flat nose. Suddenly it turned in her direction, and lurched towards her. Seree screamed and dodged it's flailing arms. She ran towards her mother's room, where she knew her mother kept the gun. She opened the bottom drawer, and felt around for the familiar shape. Her hands closed around the handle, and she yanked it out. It was a small black handgun, fully loaded. She could hear the thing coming closer, and her finger tightened on the trigger. It appeared in the doorway, and gave a waling scream that sent chills down Seree's spine. A cold calm settled over the girl, and she raised the gun to the thing's face. "Say cheese," she said grimly, and shot the thing in the mouth. Black blood exploded from the hole, it's scream cut short. It's milky eyes closed, and it toppled to the ground.
Seree blinked, the cold calm broken. She began to shake, breathing heavily. She controlled herself and walked over to the thing's body. Suddenly one of it's arms jerked and grabbed her ankle, and she yelled. Then there was a gunshot, and the thing's head exploded into a black mass, and it's grip relaxed. Seree looked around for the person who had shot it and her eyes centered on another figure coming out of the darkness.
This time it was a girl like herself, the same age. The girl was an African-American, with skin the color of chocolate and long, wavy black hair. "That Shuffler almost got ya," She said to Seree, smiling widely. "N...Nice shot," Seree replied, and extended her hand. "Seree Moki at your service," she said, and the black girl laughed. "No need for the formalities, Seree. And you ain't in nobody's service, though I would appreciate it if'n we could be friends." The black girl shook Seree's hand, her callused palm much like Seree's. "The name's Lia. I ain't got no last name, though." Lia laughed again. Suddenly another mon could be heard, and the scuffling of more Shuffler's feet. "C'mon, we gotta go back to the others. 'Tis funny, 'cause I said i was just goin' out for s'more food, and I come back with another survivor!" Seree's eyes widened. "Another?" She asked, and Lia nodded. "There's more kids our age back at our stronghold. Dumb Shufflers dunno how to open a door..." Seree giggled, and began to follow Lia back to their 'stronghold'.