nix

Something was unnerving about the sight of five bodies that were captured in time, reminiscent of the figures preserved in ash in Pompeii. The five were in the middle of the clearing as if taking a rest. One sat on a bench; the others stood around him.

They were sheathed in a thin layer of snow. The elements at that moment were declining with the howling wind, almost to the point of a whiteout. The bitter cold cut through my clothes as the man beside me stepped up to a figure standing near him.

“Cursed by the gods. Maybe we’ll get it right this time, eh?” he said while sizing up the men before him, his combat boots crunching in the soft snow.

“Can they be saved?” I asked, eyes drawn to the one on the bench who held a guitar.

My partner snorted in response.

Nil.

I thought of Medusa and her petrifying curse.

I thought of Lot’s wife who turned into a pillar of salt after looking back to Sodom.

My fingers brushed against a frozen icy blue-hued hand strumming a guitar, before reaching up and clearing his face, revealing solemn features.

There was something, a calm feeling that came across me, laced with sadness.

“Let’s not hang around long, before we end up like them.”

These were the five pillars that had failed us and had remained in place for over a decade. I made a sound of agreement as I followed behind my partner.