My Life In The Ruins Novels & Stories

“Your condition’s too serious. Only Director Nelson has the skills to minimize the damage. I’m going to beg him right now. Wait for me!” He left, leaving me sitting alone in the wreckage. I’d never imagined my grave would end up being a pile of ruins. My vision was starting to blur when a flash of white suddenly rushed in, followed by two of the rescue team members Derrick had chewed out earlier. It was my intern, Mike Levine. “Gwen! Stay with me! Don’t fall asleep! I’m here to get you out!” Then Derrick walked back in. He let out a mocking laugh. “What’s this? Couldn’t keep your lies straight, so you called someone in to save you? Then you’ll lie in a hospital bed for a few days and fake a

“Rune! That’s exactly my point. My name is Rune. It was never Ruin. You named me that. You made me feel, from the age of three, like all I ever did was ruin everything.” “That’s because you did!” Liddy replied, shouting now. “This piece of paper doesn’t prove anything, Ruin. You did ruin everything. I heard what your mother said. I was there.” “I was there, too!” “You weren’t even three! She said you ruined her life. I took you and put a roof over your head, despite the fact that you ruined everything you touched. Toasters. Blenders. Hairdryers. My refrigerator. The hot water heater….”

The words hit something inside me, like something fragile, something that is already strained too far. “I do not feel like I am alone,” I said quietly. Ruin’s eyes softened. “Then tell me what you feel.” I hesitated. For a moment, I tried to hold everything back. I tried to keep it contained, but the pressure was too much. “I feel like everything is collapsing,” I admitted. Ruin did not interrupt. “I feel like I do not know who I am anymore,” I said. His expression remained steady. “I feel like my entire life has been built on something that might not be true.”

His face was pale, eyes shadowed from exhaustion, but there was a strange calm in him—a peace that looked foreign yet fitting. We walked through the ruins in silence. Every room we passed had a memory. The grand hall where I once feared him. The dining room where he watched me from across the table, unreadable. The garden where, for the first time, he let me see the cracks in his armor. Now, all of it was gone—reduced to soot and silence. But maybe that was how it needed to be. Maybe love like ours wasn’t meant to grow in perfection—it had to bloom in ruin.

Oliver raised a hand, demanding silence, and continued, "You must be wondering why we are training you for the ruins. Let me give you the answer: If you enter the ruins unprepared, you will die." Danial felt a cold shiver run down his spine. This wasn't just an adventure; it was a matter of life and death. He had always thought of the ruins as an adventure, an opportunity to gain experience and perhaps discover treasures. But Oliver's words poured a bucket of cold water on those notions, grounding him in the reality of the dangers they faced.

~Harley’s Point of View~ It’s all I can do to blink the tears away as I take in the ruins of my entire world. Everything my family busted their asses for, everything I wanted to be mine. It’s all gone. Just like that. The few buildings that still stand are ruined beyond repair, and now the insides are soaked in rain to boot. There’s no doubt it’s all covered in mold at this point.

“But you have mistaken the cause. Ruin never came from people being whole. Ruin came from people being broken. Ruin came from forcing things apart, cutting things off, hiding things away. You blame the union — but you have only ever known the separation. You have never once tried the other way.” I turned and gestured wide toward the valley behind us. “Look. There are no walls. No gates. No guards standing watch over every street. There are people of every background, every gift, every kind of being. They live together, work together, learn together. They are different — very different — and yet they are one. Where is the chaos? Where is the ruin? Where is the destruction you promised would c

The room, once a place of order and control, is now a chaotic mess, mirroring the ruin of my life. Finally, exhausted and shaking, I sink to the floor amidst the wreckage, my chest heaving with sobs. My life, once so meticulously controlled, is now in shambles. The weight of my mistakes crushes me, leaving me gasping for breath. The tears flow freely, mingling with the blood from the cuts on my hands.

“Sit down, Rossi.” “No,” Liam said, leaning across the table until he was inches from Arthur’s face. “You want to talk about failure? Look in the mirror. You’ve built this massive, expensive tomb and you’re so lonely you have to spend your dinner tearing down the only person who actually gives a damn about you.” “Liam, don’t,” Ethan whispered, his voice broken.

For the boys who deserved better than a mother who was falling apart. The elevator doors opened to the lobby. I walked out into the sunlight. And tried to pretend my world wasn't crumbling around me. Again.