To Those I Loved, Remeber Me For I Shall Not. (Soft Closed)
Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2024 7:38 am
(( Sire found but others are welcome to make tappy taps on the keyboard with me.))
Everything hurt. Pain was her greeting to the world before her eyes even opened. Once they did, everything became so much worse. Hot liquid dripped into her eyes causing them to burn. She wiped the fluid away with the heel of her hand then was confused when she found blood on the skin that had touched her face. Gingerly, she felt around her skull before hissing as her fingers came in contact with exposed flesh and something sharp just above her left ear and the sensation left her woozy. She froze for a moment to take account of her body. She was lying on her back on a rough surface with her left side pressed against a wall and a heavy mass on her right side. Her left side felt shattered, her upper arm and at least a few ribs were broken but as her focus moved further down the pain seemed less critical. Some bruises and cuts, maybe small fractures at worst but her back and legs were functional, if not protesting, as she used the mass on her right to raise herself slowly. The groan that escaped her was drowned out by the sound of cackling and breaking wood. In her half up position she saw the front half of of the room, a living room maybe, on fire. That would explain the burning hot air in her lungs. Glancing down she saw the mass that had her pined to the wall was a body. A body of a large yet unmoving male. His eyes were blank and staring at the spot she had just been. She didn’t know the man’s name or what he was to her but she felt an overwhelming sense of grief when she saw the soulless eyes. But she needed to get out before the roof came down on her and finished whatever job was started. So supporting her broken arm with her good one she got to her feet, having to lean against the wall for a moment to get her bearings. That’s when she saw two more bodies. A younger side of middle aged woman laid across a broken coffee table still desperately clinging to the young woman in her arms despite neither one of them needing protection anymore. The image about took her to her knees again. Their bodies had been mutilated with deep slashes covering the flesh and as she looked down to the man beside her she found he had similar injuries. These people had been attacked. Did she do this? She had no sooner thought the words than a resounding ‘no’ echoed though her head. Her heart hurt worse than her physical wounds but despite how much she wanted to just stay here with these people the air was getting hard to breath from the smoke. She spotted a door hanging oddly off its hinges and carefully stepped over debris making her way though the exit.
Once outside the view was no better. Bodies lay in the makeshift dirt street while several of the small homes were fully engulfed in flames. The lack of sound besides the roar of fire haunted her as much as the carnage did. None of the faces told her anything except of more loss. Out here was no safer than the burning home she just left. She needed to be gone if whoever or whatever did this came back. And she couldn’t move fast. So she moved towards the trees as fast as her legs would allow, still cradling her left arm, and only briefly looked back before the density of the trees blocked her view of a place she couldn’t shake the feeling she would always miss. The smell of burning wood and flesh took longer to escape. It clung to her clothes and skin like a sadistic brand of scent. Her throat still burned from the heat and smoke while she felt her mind start to go cloudy like she was about to blackout. She let out a cry of pain as she intentionally jostled her injured arm, but the pain brought her back to awareness. She needed to find help before the blood loss or other injuries claimed her and she needed to keep moving to accomplish that. She wasn’t looking at the ground and was startled when her foot suddenly sank into about a foot of water. Looking down saw a short creek, no bigger than a yard and a half across and maybe a foot and a half deep. Her skirts got wet as she knelt on the edge but she hardly noticed as she scooped the cool water to her mouth. It took the edge off the burning in her mouth and throat but the cool water was too comforting. After only a minute she realized if she stayed any longer she the gentle sound and soothing sensation of the water would lull her to sleep. And then she would die. So she stood, and crossed the water and kept walking. She didn’t know how she was still alive or conscious. Her head hadn’t stopped bleeding and most of the blood that had the decency to not trickle into her eyes was dripping from her long copper hair causing it to be heavy down her back. Her arm was throbbing with each step she took and she realized she was barefoot. She allowed herself this small happiness. The soft grass and connection to the earth brought her a sense comfort and while she couldn’t explain why it felt right. It just felt like this was one small thing she could still claim as hers after everything else had been taken from her. And she was getting upset with herself for not understanding why she felt this way. She didn’t know the bodies she saw. Yes something horrible happened there but its not like she loved them. If she did, she would know who they were. But still, her vision swam with the memories of their motionless faces as a skyline appeared in the distance. And not a moment too soon. She wouldn’t be able to fight the darkness for much longer.
Dawn was threatening on the horizon as her feet finally hit pavement. This sensation she didn’t like barefoot. It felt wrong and artificial. But its not like she had a choice. So she kept moving down the still empty sidewalk looking for anybody that could help her. Each step was more difficult than the last and the edges of her vision were a cloudy gray. Leaning against a lamp post to examine her options she found a subway station sign. People had to be a subway station no matter how early it was, right? So she followed the signage the several blocks, her breathing becoming more labored. She was apparently coming to the less busy side of the station but a handful of people were getting on and off busses across the street.
“Help”, she attempted to cry out but found even she could hardly hear her own voice. Once again she leaned against a post and this time her legs didn’t threaten but warned her they were not cooperating with her any longer. She tried to scream for help but all that did was cause a coughing fit that sent pure agony from her ribs and head radiating through the rest of her body. Her legs took this as a personal attack and gave up trying to keep her upright. She slumped to her knees which jarred her arm and her skirts did little to cushion the impact to her kneecaps. Through her darkening vision she saw all those people but none of them saw her. They were busy with their own lives trying to get to work. If she had known she would die either way she wouldn’t have moved from the man that had been by her when she woke hours ago. It would be better to die with those nameless faces that she missed so much than here alone. But she made her choice. And the gray turned to black.
Everything hurt. Pain was her greeting to the world before her eyes even opened. Once they did, everything became so much worse. Hot liquid dripped into her eyes causing them to burn. She wiped the fluid away with the heel of her hand then was confused when she found blood on the skin that had touched her face. Gingerly, she felt around her skull before hissing as her fingers came in contact with exposed flesh and something sharp just above her left ear and the sensation left her woozy. She froze for a moment to take account of her body. She was lying on her back on a rough surface with her left side pressed against a wall and a heavy mass on her right side. Her left side felt shattered, her upper arm and at least a few ribs were broken but as her focus moved further down the pain seemed less critical. Some bruises and cuts, maybe small fractures at worst but her back and legs were functional, if not protesting, as she used the mass on her right to raise herself slowly. The groan that escaped her was drowned out by the sound of cackling and breaking wood. In her half up position she saw the front half of of the room, a living room maybe, on fire. That would explain the burning hot air in her lungs. Glancing down she saw the mass that had her pined to the wall was a body. A body of a large yet unmoving male. His eyes were blank and staring at the spot she had just been. She didn’t know the man’s name or what he was to her but she felt an overwhelming sense of grief when she saw the soulless eyes. But she needed to get out before the roof came down on her and finished whatever job was started. So supporting her broken arm with her good one she got to her feet, having to lean against the wall for a moment to get her bearings. That’s when she saw two more bodies. A younger side of middle aged woman laid across a broken coffee table still desperately clinging to the young woman in her arms despite neither one of them needing protection anymore. The image about took her to her knees again. Their bodies had been mutilated with deep slashes covering the flesh and as she looked down to the man beside her she found he had similar injuries. These people had been attacked. Did she do this? She had no sooner thought the words than a resounding ‘no’ echoed though her head. Her heart hurt worse than her physical wounds but despite how much she wanted to just stay here with these people the air was getting hard to breath from the smoke. She spotted a door hanging oddly off its hinges and carefully stepped over debris making her way though the exit.
Once outside the view was no better. Bodies lay in the makeshift dirt street while several of the small homes were fully engulfed in flames. The lack of sound besides the roar of fire haunted her as much as the carnage did. None of the faces told her anything except of more loss. Out here was no safer than the burning home she just left. She needed to be gone if whoever or whatever did this came back. And she couldn’t move fast. So she moved towards the trees as fast as her legs would allow, still cradling her left arm, and only briefly looked back before the density of the trees blocked her view of a place she couldn’t shake the feeling she would always miss. The smell of burning wood and flesh took longer to escape. It clung to her clothes and skin like a sadistic brand of scent. Her throat still burned from the heat and smoke while she felt her mind start to go cloudy like she was about to blackout. She let out a cry of pain as she intentionally jostled her injured arm, but the pain brought her back to awareness. She needed to find help before the blood loss or other injuries claimed her and she needed to keep moving to accomplish that. She wasn’t looking at the ground and was startled when her foot suddenly sank into about a foot of water. Looking down saw a short creek, no bigger than a yard and a half across and maybe a foot and a half deep. Her skirts got wet as she knelt on the edge but she hardly noticed as she scooped the cool water to her mouth. It took the edge off the burning in her mouth and throat but the cool water was too comforting. After only a minute she realized if she stayed any longer she the gentle sound and soothing sensation of the water would lull her to sleep. And then she would die. So she stood, and crossed the water and kept walking. She didn’t know how she was still alive or conscious. Her head hadn’t stopped bleeding and most of the blood that had the decency to not trickle into her eyes was dripping from her long copper hair causing it to be heavy down her back. Her arm was throbbing with each step she took and she realized she was barefoot. She allowed herself this small happiness. The soft grass and connection to the earth brought her a sense comfort and while she couldn’t explain why it felt right. It just felt like this was one small thing she could still claim as hers after everything else had been taken from her. And she was getting upset with herself for not understanding why she felt this way. She didn’t know the bodies she saw. Yes something horrible happened there but its not like she loved them. If she did, she would know who they were. But still, her vision swam with the memories of their motionless faces as a skyline appeared in the distance. And not a moment too soon. She wouldn’t be able to fight the darkness for much longer.
Dawn was threatening on the horizon as her feet finally hit pavement. This sensation she didn’t like barefoot. It felt wrong and artificial. But its not like she had a choice. So she kept moving down the still empty sidewalk looking for anybody that could help her. Each step was more difficult than the last and the edges of her vision were a cloudy gray. Leaning against a lamp post to examine her options she found a subway station sign. People had to be a subway station no matter how early it was, right? So she followed the signage the several blocks, her breathing becoming more labored. She was apparently coming to the less busy side of the station but a handful of people were getting on and off busses across the street.
“Help”, she attempted to cry out but found even she could hardly hear her own voice. Once again she leaned against a post and this time her legs didn’t threaten but warned her they were not cooperating with her any longer. She tried to scream for help but all that did was cause a coughing fit that sent pure agony from her ribs and head radiating through the rest of her body. Her legs took this as a personal attack and gave up trying to keep her upright. She slumped to her knees which jarred her arm and her skirts did little to cushion the impact to her kneecaps. Through her darkening vision she saw all those people but none of them saw her. They were busy with their own lives trying to get to work. If she had known she would die either way she wouldn’t have moved from the man that had been by her when she woke hours ago. It would be better to die with those nameless faces that she missed so much than here alone. But she made her choice. And the gray turned to black.