The Awakening

I squeezed my eyes shut as firm as I could until white flashes of light interrupted the black abyss behind my eyelids. My hands gripped my dark cloak around my body, the soft breeze no longer a comfort. I hesitantly allowed my eyes to open; they ached from my attempts of keeping my emotions in check, causing my vision to blur. In a fraction of time, my eyesight was unblemished once more, and a hand shot to my mouth to prevent any unwanted cries.

The remnants of my village were made of ash, fallen carts, and broken buildings. From my spot on the mound, I could see that the entirety of Butik Lane was obliterated … and the rest of the small community was hanging on by a single, splitting thread. It's as if a raging bull from the heavens descended on our streets.

My nose crinkled as my eyes laid on the remains of the butcher’s shop. All of the usual meat and produce was nowhere to be seen; the raiders had left a different type of meat to decay in its place.

My priorly dry eyes filled to the brim with salty water as I collapsed to the ground, digging into the damp soil with my bitten-down nails. He should’ve let me stay … what if I could’ve done something? A strained shout gurgled out of my throat, and I pulled at my hair with my mud-caked fingers.

Cooper’s knees hit the soft earth beside me, but my eyes remained trained on my fingers as I raked them through the soil once more. The first few droplets of a drizzle landed on my face and hands, and I imagined that the sky was crying with me. For me. For my family. Mother always said … said that I have an unconventional imagination.

The locket in my pouch felt instantly heavy, and the heart-shaped picture of my two youngest siblings flashed across my mind’s eye. The day they gave it to me was my birthday, wasn’t it? Two years ago, when they weren’t aware of the downfalls of our new world. Sobs racked my body as I clenched my eyes shut once again, unable to spare a glance at my village … my home.

“Talia? We, uhm … we should probably get going if you’re ready. T-They might come back to l-look for survivors.” Cooper’s voice quivered as he spoke. His father had been working at the gear shop when they came, their horses’ hooves stampeding people to the ground. Not far off, what was left of the shop smoldered.

I shakily gained my footing and wiped the tears from my face, only for them to be replaced moments later. “Okay. Where are we going?” I asked at a near whisper. “Neither of us have family in neighboring villages … if they’re even standing at this point.”

“As far away from this wretched place as we can get.” His sandy-brown hair fell over his eyes as he stood. “We’ll head in the direction of the Palace, tell them what happened.”

“The Palace? Have you gone mad? That’s an eight-day journey in a buggy. We’re talking about walking, Cooper.”

“What other choice do we have? Think, we have no food, no water, and no weapons to defend ourselves. We can find all of that on the way … our life here is over.” He wiped a tear from my cheek and forced my grey eyes to his hazel. “Listen, I don’t want to leave either, but whoever they were are bound to come back. We have to leave, but it’ll be okay. We’ll be—.” His voice cracked, and my childhood friend pulled me into a tight embrace. We held each other for what felt like a millennium before I pulled away.

“Okay,” I whispered.

He smiled and hugged me once more. “I won’t let anything happen to you, I swear it.” He pulled away and I rolled my eyes, situating my cloak on my shoulders.

“Okay, Mister Passionate, can we go before I change my mind?”

“There’s my Talia,” he chuckled, a hint of sadness laced in his laugh.

We trudged north in the general direction of the Palace and Queen Tova. I gripped Cooper’s hand, just as I had when we were children about to venture into the strictly off-limit Wastes. The gasses that put the human race into hazmat suits for the better part of a decade began in Wastes so shockingly similar to our own … yet we didn’t seem to have a care in the world. Now that it’s all over, I guess people are having an awakening. They’re making up for the destruction they couldn’t cause before.

As we trekked up the slope overlooking our decimated village, I prayed to any God listening that the courage I had possessed not so long ago could make its reappearance.