The Ruins By Scott Smith Novels & Stories

“Something’s different. The air feels warped—like reality is folding over itself.” Jonas tilted his head. “Could be a trap.” “Could also be the hybrid,” I said. “We won’t know unless we get closer.” We crouched low and moved forward, every step deliberate. 3rd POV – The Ruin At the base of the ridge lay the crumbling remains of what had once been a temple. Its roof had long since collapsed, leaving only a skeleton of columns and scattered stones. The air shimmered faintly around it, as if the sunlight itself was bending out of place.

The sun rose like a dying ember — pale, uncertain, its light fractured by the smoke of a world still clawing its way back from ruin. The air trembled with the aftershocks of creation; the heavens still bore the scars of their struggle. Where dawn should have been gold and gentle, it came instead in broken colors — a bleeding horizon of ash and silver, of beauty born from devastation.

Her puffy eyes took their time in opening and confronting the bitter reality. As her senses kicked in, she could only feel the pain, vibrating in her whole body. Her hazy gaze met the cemented ceiling, confusion filled her mind, not realizing where she was. Just then, flashes of last night came rushing down at her, successfully numbing each cell of her body. She was ruined yesterday. What she tried to shield her whole life, it was snatched in a daze from her. Bringing her bruised hand upward, she rubbed two fingers on side of her head.

“About us?” “About you. Carter sent him the photo.” I shrugged. “Raj Varma doesn’t scare me, Drisana. The only thing that scares me right now is failing Professor Smith’s class. Can we get back to the supply chain?” She stared at me like I was insane. “I need a shower first,” she muttered and disappeared into the bathroom. I waited until I heard the water running. Then I walked quietly to the bathroom door and pushed it open.

she said. Abigail screamed as she was handcuffed and taken away. In this life, prison became her final destination. Calm returned to the rooftop. The fragrance of gardenias swirled around me, easing the dull ache in my head. Grace's eyes sparkled. "It's over now. Nothing like this will ever happen again." I held her tightly in my arms. The days ahead held sunshine, gentle breezes, and the one I loved. It was truly wonderful.

Alison’s POV The road to The Silver Moon Pack Ruins was eerily silent. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath as we approached the place where it had all started. The tires crunched over gravel as Kendrick brought the car to a slow stop, the headlights illuminating the desolate landscape ahead. The ruins stood like a graveyard of forgotten souls... burnt structures, shattered stone walls, and remnants of what was once a thriving pack. The air was thick with something ancient and unsettling, a weight pressing down on my chest the moment we stepped out of the car.

It's isolated, hidden from view, and completely different from the public meeting spot he originally suggested. This is definitely a trap. But I'm already walking toward the ruins, my feet carrying me forward even as my brain screams at me to turn around. The transmitter feels heavy against my collarbone, a reminder that I'm not completely alone in this. The ruins emerge from the darkness like something out of a Gothic novel. Crumbling stone walls rise from overgrown grass, their windows dark and empty. Vines climb the remaining walls, and decades of neglect have turned what was once probably a grand structure into something that looks haunted.

The Ruins of Fate The ruins loomed before them, skeletal remains of a forgotten era thrust upward from the earth. Crumbling stone pillars, draped in thick vines and moss, stood like silent sentinels, their surfaces pitted by time. The air was heavy, saturated with the rich, loamy scent of damp soil and the faint rot of decay. It pressed against Aria’s skin as she stepped into the clearing, a cloying shroud that made her breath catch. Beneath her boots, the ground yielded, soft mud sucking at her soles with each careful step. The faint light of dawn struggled through the dense canopy overhead, splintering into long, wavering shadows that danced across the uneven stones. Beside her, Caden move

The ash fell like powdered gray rain, soft and constant, as if the city itself had been dusted for burial. Jessica puller her collar up against the wind and felt the grit sting her cheeks. The skyline was a jagged silhouette of broken glass and bent steel; the streets were littered with memory. "This was a city once", Aurora whispered, tiny voice swallowed by the wide, empty avenue. "It still is", Romeo said, but his voice was low. His eyes swept the ruins, calculating and cold. "It's a city with wounds. And people stitched into those wounds".

And the distant creak of something collapsing deeper in the ruins. I pressed my hand against the soot-covered floor. Felt the grain. The decay. The violence that once happened here now woven into the walls. “I miss you,” I said aloud. I didn’t care if it was pathetic. I missed Jace’s madness. Rick’s loyalty. Jaxon’s chaos. I missed the hell that made me feel alive. A charred photograph lay buried under rubble — just the edge of it sticking out. I pulled it free with shaking hands. The fire hadn’t fully consumed it.