Whumptober+ Short Stories - Volume 2

Prompt 19 - Exhaustion

From the corner of the room, Sonali hid her face in her hands, unable to watch the fight any longer. But she still heard the sounds. There was a swish of blades, a sudden rough cry, and then, unexpectedly, near silence.

Is it over?

She slowly lowered her hands, tears filling her eyes when she saw that the battle was indeed finally over. Her older sister, sword still held firmly in her hand, lay motionless on the floor, a pool of blood spreading from around her shoulders and chest. Her eyes were open, but there was no longer any life in them as she stared blankly up at the ceiling. After a moment, Sonali looked away. Though they had never been close in any way, she couldn't bear to see her dead sister's body anymore.

"Sonali?"

At the sound of the familiar voice, she turned her head. "Kilian?"

~

From where he was standing, he could see the tears running down Sonali's face as she turned to look at him. Letting out a shaky sigh, he came forward slowly, the bloodied blade finally falling from his hand to clatter against the floor. "Are you okay?" He asked as he reached her side.

"...no."

He hadn't expected any other answer. Leaning back against the wall, he eased himself down into a sitting position next to her, wincing as he did so. The fight had been a close one, and he was already getting light-headed from pain and blood loss.

Gotta find help... but....

"How did she find me?" Came a soft whisper from beside him. Glancing over, Kilian was surprised to see an expression of anger on Sonali's pale face. A second later, she looked up at him. "What did I do wrong?"

It was at this moment that he realized how serious things were. This small girl... he had just killed her sister in front of her. Her only family. And now they were gone.

"I'm... I'm sorry... I..." He began, then paused.

How do I tell her...

"It's okay..." She said quietly. Then, looking down at her hands, she added, "It's not your fault. I'm just..."

A sigh.

"...now I'm lonely." Here she turned to look at him, the expression on her face a picture of sadness. "She was my whole family. And now... now I don't have a family anymore."

That's my fault... Kilian's mind told him.

"I'm gonna be alone now."

Because of me...

"... Kilian?"

He looked up slowly. "Yes?"

Tearful eyes looked back at him, a hint of hopelessness and desperation in them as Sonali spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "You saved my life... can you...?"

"...can you be my family for a while?"