June 7, 2011

San Francisco, California

10:13 A. M.

When I woke from my dreams today, I came to the scariest realization through the last several years since Jefe left. In between my time of silence and madness, between all of that even with my loneliness and lack of loyalty to strange vampires, I am afraid of something else. I am afraid of something that my madness tried to protect me from. I even used my silence not to utter what I was most afraid of. It was just when the werewolf attack happened ... It was there it came. It was within that time I knew what I fear most. I do not want to die alone.

Yet, here I am completely alone again. I sit hiding in one of alleyways of China Town. The city is just like the others. There are not that many humans here. I have seen a few dashing between buildings and such. I have even seen a goblin or two in the shadows. The city has fallen. What I can gather from the few goblins I have managed to speak with there was a fire. I take that back. There was not just a fire. There was a huge fire. It was a giant one. It took over half the city down with it. The goblins said it started with the people of San Francisco trying to defeat a horde of vampires. I do not have to tell you the end of the story.

Why didn't I keep the company of the other goblins? Why did I just allow the ones who spoke to me to slip on by? I let them go because they were half gone. They were not really goblins anymore in their minds. They did not even bother wearing clothing. Those goblins, those goblins from this city, they have seen the heart of darkness. They have lost what makes them goblins. If I myself wasn't a goblin ... I would have mistaken them for some type of animal.

And Creators know, I have been there too on the edge of madness. I fell into it. I know madness when I see it. Those goblins had it. They only manage to speak to me as one would speak to a mountain lion. I did it from a great distance. I did not have the chance to offer friendship or anything. I only threw some of my food. Those goblins remembered they could speak. Told me what I know now. Then those goblins vanished into the ruins of this city.

Could I have tracked them? Yes. I could have tried. But do I need company of mad goblins as well? I did stay with the Fangs and Charles due to loneliness. Still I did not feel like tempting fate with mad goblins. I only asked Jefe next. They laughed in pain over such a stupid question. They said, "Are you dumb? Everyone is missing. Everyone is lost. There is nobody here."

So I left them in peace and wonder through the city. I will have someone to speak with. Someone who is sane. Or at least not so mad. Am I being too picky on who I keep as company?

-Sin

June 18, 2011

San Francisco

9:45 A.M.

Why am I still here? I hardly have any leads on Jefe. I hardly have any leads on anything. I just know how the city fell. It was useful for knowing in the beginning. Still this city has little in the way of wild game or fresh water. I do believe I have failed to mention that in my last entry. The city after it burned down and more rioting happened had some serious problems. The water from the ocean side is not useable to drink, even if I wanted to. There is a black liquid in it right now. I believe some kind of oil. I have searched about for creeks and rivers. It is best not to try. I have seen them. There are a lot of dead animals in the areas that have them. So the water I can gather is from rainfall. Wild game was overused by the humans to support themselves at first. Yea ... no dice there.

I may be able to hide well among the ruins of this city. But I do not like the smells that come with it. Not that I would complain about it aloud with someone was around me. The scents in the alleyways. They remind me of rotting fruit. Despite what some of the humans I have encountered think about my eating habits, I do not like rotting foods. Not when it comes to the point where the fruit has flies and stuff on it.

Now before you start wonder what is the point of all this rambling? There is a point. I promise you this much. As I was hiding among the alleyways last night, I decided to relocate as I could not stand the smell if the alleyways. I sleepily stumbled in the night into an empty house nearby. I had my hand loosely on the handle of my gun. It always pay to be safe than sorry. Anyways, I had my hand at the ready. When suddenly I spotted a gray goblin kneeling in the shadows of the house, she turned me and we locked eyes in the darkness.

I realized her eyes did not have the same wildness of the other goblins. I approached her not as I lingered. The other goblin crept slowly towards me. She stood up and she wore a poncho, a poncho with a familiar pattern. Her poncho was worn out as hell and I couldn't make out the fine details. But I knew that pattern from somewhere. It has a citrus on it. The once bright yellow and green stripes were had to miss. True the colors were more a blackish tint. The point was I knew those colors.

The gray goblin asked, "Have you seen the kiss of the summer sun upon the cliff of Ojos Azules when the Time of Exchange happens?"

Something below a whisper slipped from me. I said, "Have you been there when the oranges are ripe and ready for pick during the first Night Hunt?"

"You, too, have witnessed the rise and fall of stars in the Creators eyes."

"As you surely there when one named Blanca was took by the Dust Eaters."

A smile escaped from the wary goblin. She stood in the shadows daring not to come closer from her space as if I would hurt her. I let go of the handle of my gun and motioned forward. The gray goblin held out her hands. She whispered, "You were from the desert too, eh? The Dust Eaters... You were the chief's guardian, right?"

"I was."

"It is good to see a sister clan member, even when we live in hell times."

I came closer.

"Stay where you are!" The Citrus Keeper hissed, "This place is filled with traps. You must be careful!"

I peered down. It was a thin wire going across the way. She signaled me around the traps. The Citrus Keeper explained, "I am one of fifteen of the Citrus Keepers, who survived the onslaught of the werewolves and came here. My name is Sally."

"Sally? You were the maid of honor of Blanca."

" Yes."

"You know me. I am-"

"I do recall you. No need to reintroduce yourself."

"You said there are others. Where are they?"

"They are out gathering food. Our leader Rose is this way. She will be happy to a sister clan member lived through the riots. Come, come," Sally grinned.

Here I get to wait for Rose to speak with me. I hope I will get answers to my questions. And now I will not have to worry about being all alone. Whatever Rose is doing she is busy behind the door with flashing lights. I will tell you more when I get back. I believe Rose is ready to see me now, at least Sally says so anyways.

11:47 A.M.

Rose was an average size goblin. As far as my memory serves, she was not related to the chief of the Citrus Keepers. Heck, I think her status in the tribe was a weaver. Now Rose was marked with the title of chief of the last of her clan. I got to stand before her and her small wooden stool. I will not say Rose was a sickly goblin. But the colors of the clan, her clan were an awful tint with lots of graying. I was surprised Rose managed to keep her colors. Rose wore a shabby green and yellow poncho like Sally.

There were some pleasant exchanges of niceties between us.

Then with a gravelly voice, Rose said, "We are heading across the sea with some city goblins we have befriended. They know of an island called Catena Island in the southern part of California. They have a ship and promise a new start on the island."

I only answered, "Why leave?"

"Why stay, sister? What remains in these ruins? It is not our home. We had to leave our home long ago. Now we must find a new one," Rose paused to chew some tobacco, "Come with us. You were a hunter, right? We can always use another pair of hands."

"I cannot go. I am looking for someone. You recall my chief? Have you seen him?"

" ... Very Well," Rose chewed. I held up my photo to her. She stared.

"Anything?"

"Your chief? Oh yes! We have seen your chief a few weeks before the great fire. We welcomed him to us. We couldn't support your clan alongside ours. So he left. He came back this way about a month ago. He was then headed south."

"Where!?"

"I do not know. He was very upset. I asked him what happened. He said nothing. Just he could not go home to where a home did not exit. There are lingering rumors about him. I think I have heard of a city down south, a place where most goblins have gone now. Santa something or other."

"Why not go there? We can go together."

I did not need to ask about what Jefe meant by no home. I did not want to think of what he knew or heard about the Dust Eaters.

"Sister, we dare not go near cities again. We have seen what happens. Just look at these ruins. We, the last of the Citrus Keepers, are going toward the sea. If the Creators are kind we will live. You journey your way. We journey our own."

I should have said yes to that offer. Stupid love of Jefe ...

-Sin

June 19, 2011

San Francisco

6:00 P.M.

Yes, I am still in the city of ruins. Despite the fact I could have gone with the Citrus Keepers. Even when I turned them down Rose gave me instructions of how to get out of San Francisco. I will give you five guess on how that went. If you said Sin you got lost in the city. You guessed right. I have been trying to use my compass all day to get out of here. I have had no luck thus far.

But I am not completely alone. I have not been left to the city without mercy. No while I was hunting down my next meal. A pigeon. I admit it is not a great meal. But it is better than nothing. I was eating the pigeon raw. I was afraid of attracting nearby goblins and other humans. I thought I would have more alone time.

However, I meet a human. He was a cheerful fellow. With his happiness, I would have thought I was not at the end of the world in the ruins of a vast city. I believe he was in his late teens early twenties. He carried around a guitar. His name was Andy. Now this man was a musician he got to hear him play a song or two. He was amazing!

Andy has offered me a better dinner than raw pigeon. He has even been kind enough to lead me out of the city. I told him where I was headed. He told me was he was headed. We are going in the same direction for now. I will follow this man. It will be nicer than going alone.

-Sin