Chapter Twenty Two:
Attack on Firo
The archway was a burnt pile of rubble at the town’s entrance; the perfect gateway into a town filled with screams and blood.
The mosaic pattern was littered with bodies of traders and tourists. Nearby houses were on fire or ransacked. No living soul was in sight.
I moved slowly, deeper into the town, staying pressed close to walls for shelter. The further in I went the more activity I saw. Soldiers were breaking into homes, slashing panicked tourists and locals, leaving them bleeding where they fell. One soldier went to a woman on the floor, who was clutching her bleeding stomach, and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her up.
‘Where is the boy with scales? Tell me and we will stop this attack!’
The woman just cried out in pain, unable to form coherent words. It was only then I realised she was Mum’s employer, Felicity.
The soldiers tsked, letting her drop to the floor and bringing his sword down, striking through her back, into her heart.
I sank further into the shadows, waiting until he moved to a tourist further away before dashing towards my house.
The street looked deserted of soldiers, clearly already suffered through their raid. Our house wasn’t ablaze, but the door had been destroyed, now just chunks on the floor.
I stepped in cautiously, my gaze darting from the floor to the corridor, the morning light making it easy to see.
As soon as I stepped around the corner into the kitchen I saw Mum’s body. The table was overturned, chairs scattered and damaged. She was laid on the floor, clearly arranged that way, as if she was already in a coffin. Legs straight, arms crossed over her chest, except her eyes weren’t closed, her face showing the terror she’s felt as she died. A small trickle of blood flowed from her mouth, down the side of her face, not yet dry.
I moved closer, reaching out a trembling finger to touch her but pulling it back at the last moment.
‘Mum,’ I choked out.
Something tried to plunge into my shoulder. A snap and a curse followed, making me spin around so fast I fell on my butt next to Mum on the floor.
‘Damn,’ A soldier muttered, staring at the broken tip of his sword. ‘Wasn’t expecting that to happen.’
I shuffled away, standing to my feet as he dropped the sword, glaring at me.
‘Well, I did have orders to take you alive, so maybe this is better.’
‘Did you do this?’ I asked, voice hoarse as he unclipped some shackles from his belt.
‘The woman? Yeah, she wasn’t really cooperating, but I had a feeling this was your house, so I stuck around. I kind of regret killing her so fast; if I knew you’d take this long I’d have had more fun with her when she was alive, instead of having to amuse myself using her corpse as a manikin.’
‘Annie,’ I choked out, shaking with rage. ‘What did you do to Annie?’
‘Annie? Is that who the other bedroom belongs to?’ He grinned, swinging the shackles in a lazy circle. ‘What indeed?’
All rational thought left me as I charged forward, lowering my head and plowing into his chest, grabbing his sides in a vice grip. We both went flying backwards, the soldier hitting the wall with a whelp.
He immediately slapped one shackle on my right wrist, grimacing with pain.
‘Now, now, behave yourself. Prince Earl is very eager to see you again.’
I stood and yanked my arm back, releasing his hold on the other end of the shackle. It flew past my head until I moved my arm again, directing it towards the shocked soldier. He rolled out of the way, clumsily, the shackle narrowly missing his head and dinting the wall behind.
‘Are you crazy?’ The soldier shouted, scrambling away on hands and knees until he was far enough away to stand safely.
‘Where is she?’ I screamed, charging towards him again. I briefly registered him fumbling with his belt, half drawing a dagger…
…And then I slammed into him, driving the dagger that had still been facing towards him into his stomach. His hand still clutching it.
The pain and shock in his eyes wiped all rage from me, replacing it with horror.
‘I-I…’ I stuttered, backing away, his blood already on my shirt and hands.
The soldier sank to the ground, staring is disbelief at his own dagger.
‘D-damn lizard.’ He coughed, before slumping lifeless on the ground.
An inhuman wail escaped my mouth, filling the lifeless house.
I don’t know how long I stared at his body, letting those awful sounds escape me. Probably not long enough, considering what I’d just done. But a sudden, urgent thought snapped me back to reality.
Annie.
I stumbled into her room, finding it ransacked but empty. I searched Mum’s room, my room, every single corner of the house, calling her name.
Nothing.
Maybe she wasn’t here. She could have been at school early, or at Iris’.
I clenched my fists, bracing myself as I went back to the soldier’s body. I grabbed the dagger and yanked it free before I could change my mind, causing me to retch.
I need a weapon, I justified myself.
I turned to leave, but paused, turning back to the kitchen. This time I didn’t hesitate, bending down next to the woman who had given me life and closing her eyes for the last time.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘This is my fault, and I couldn’t save you. But I’ll find Annie and keep her safe. I promise.’
And with that I stood and walked out of my home.
I would never walk back in.
Iris’ house wasn’t far away but I was nearly spotted twice. Perhaps my wailing had summoned soldiers back to the area, or maybe they would have come anyway. The thought of fighting them made my stomach clench in pain and my head swim. But surprisingly my mind was calm, no hint of a panic attack trying to overpower me.
How childish they seem now. I thought bitterly as I slipped into Iris’ house.
I immediately heard her panicked scream, her voice sobbing out desperate pleas.
‘Please stop! Please!’
I followed her voice to Marge’s bedroom, seeing Marge herself dead just outside the door. Her eyes were open in shock, with her throat cut.
Iris was being pinned down on the bed, one man on top of her, fumbling with his belt, while another watched, his back to the door and me.
‘Save some for me,’ the man leered. ‘Might as well get the best out of her before she’s shipped off to Tempit with the others.’
I took in a shaky breath, letting my mind empty of emotion or remorse.
I’ve already killed, what difference will two more make?
I stabbed the man between the back of his shoulder blades twice before he could react. I shoved him hard to the right so his falling body wouldn’t block my way. The other man turned his head, one hand still half in his pants when I stepped forward and brought the knife across his throat. He gaped and spluttered, eyes wide as his life slowly ebbed away, exiting this world to the sound of Iris’ mournful screams.
I rolled the body off of her, letting it fall to the floor. Immediately she sat up and scuttled away, terrified eyes staring at me.
‘D-Dimi?’ she asked.
‘Where’s Annie?’ I responded, voice cold. ‘Was she here when they arrived?’
She tried to control her sobs enough to speak.
‘N-no, she w-went to school early to set up the tests…’ she trailed off, eyes landing on Marge’s body behind me and choking her words away. ‘M-Mum.’
‘I need to find her.’ I said, turning away. ‘Hide somewhere until it’s over.’
I’d just entered the corridor when I heard someone burst into the house.
‘Iris!’ Aaron’s panicked voice called out, making me relax my grip on the dagger.
‘In here.’ I called out, hoping he wouldn’t attract anymore soldiers. Aaron’s face appeared moments later, his eyes widening at my appearance. I guess I was pretty blood-soaked by this point.
‘Dint? Is that you?’
‘Iris was attacked,’ I said.
‘What?’ he paled, running past me into the bedroom. Iris moaned at the sight of him, opening up her arms. Aaron immediately embraced her, looking around the room in disbelief while muttering softly to her.
‘Look after her.’ I said before turning away, not pausing as Aaron called after me.
Annie. I have to find Annie.
The closer I got to the school the harder it was to avoid being seen. Houses were still being broken into and set on fire. Soldiers were chasing citizens and tourists, rounding them up. Most they killed straight away, but the younger women they dragged towards the school.
A few times I was spotted and had to silence the soldier before they could alert others. Cutting their throat was definitely proving the most effective method.
Finally the school was in sight, which I peered at round a house corner. Many young women, ranging from ten to early twenties, were already in front of the building, under guard. More were being dragged there from the town and out of the school building.
I spotted her coming out straight away, the soldier having to practically carry her. She was struggling desperately to get back in the building, calling out ‘Chuck! Chuck!’ over and over. Tears were running down her face and blood covered her clothes.
I lost all sense of reason and began running towards her.
‘Annie!’ I screamed, drawing all the nearby soldier’s attention. ‘Annie!’
‘Dimi!’ She sobbed, starting to struggle towards me. ‘Help!’
I hadn’t even covered half the distance when four soldiers tackled me at once, slapping shackles on every limb before I could even struggle.
‘We’ve got him! We’ve found the lizard boy!’ They crowed, causing the soldiers to cheer.
I didn’t take my eyes off Annie, who could only bow her head in defeat and keep sobbing.
Scribbled Thoughts 