The Fall Of Her

The Last Day

Elizabeth woke and had a fog in her brain. Her eyes were blurry and she could hear light sounds of the monitor next to her beeping. Jasmines heart beat was the controller of the noise, each beep meant she was still alive, still there, as if she would sit up and hug Elizabeth at any moment. That instance would be highly unlikely so Elizabeth didn't let her hopes rise, she couldn't.

Elizabeth stood up and stretched in a long, slow full body way. She walked towards the large window by Jasmines medical bed, opening the long curtains in a swift motion, causing a slight noise. She glanced out the window at the city below her, she was on the 5th floor of the largest hospital around, for it had the best care. She opened the window and breathed in the gust of fresh air that blew swiftly into the room, humid and warm.

She looked at the landscape below her, trees starting to bloom with blossoms that apples would soon claim. There were flowers in the long rows by the sidewalk, the grass was cut short with the constant care provided. The air smelt of summer, humid and full of nature. Flowers, trees, fresh cut grass all added their own scent to the mix, creating a fresh summer smell. It wasn't quite summer, but it was close, spring was coming to an end.

The sounds of the waking world murmured softly through the window. Cars hummed, birds sang, the wind whirled, squirrels fumbled, and a street musician strummed away on his guitar. He was playing a song she knew, but couldn't put her finger on without words. She knew the song from somewhere, probably from social media.

She slowly moved away from the window, towards the chair she was just seated in. She noticed that there were flowers in a vase beside Jasmine's bed. Bright reds, yellows, and golds seemed to glow on the petals. The vase was large and plain, letting the flowers keep your attention on their own.

Elizabeth studied the bland room, the plain white walls surrounded her, the bland white ceiling stood sturdily above her head, the floor was a spotty grey, the only thing adding bright colours to the room was the flowers. Bright and happy.

As Elizabeth was lost in her thoughts she heard the door creak open. Someone was poking their head through the now opened door. Elizabeth realized it was Jasmines mother, Aria. The tall woman spoke softly, as if she were afraid that she would spook Elizabeth into fleeing.

"How are you doing dear?" The gentle woman queried.

"I'm fine," Elizabeth answered pointedly, fixing the toned woman with an even more pointed stare. "How are you doing, with your daughter in a coma and all."

Elizabeth never understood calm people, forever peaceful. She didn't understand how Aria didn't scream, cry, or fight everyone in her eye-line. Didn't understand why Aria wouldn't throw things, scream her lungs out at the doctors, telling them to wake her daughter, to make her live. Elizabeth couldn't understand the mother who didn't weep for her daughter, didn't seem to worry even though Jasmine, her only child, was on the edge of death. One false step from diving into its eternal bliss. Elizabeth had zoned out, not noticing Aria creeping towards her, softly speaking. She decided to not even ask why the woman was saying, standing up in a huff. She quickly mumbled that she was going downstairs to grab food and bolted from the lifeless room.

Her legs pumped efficiently, drawing her further and further from the doors she had just left. The light burn in her legs and lungs. The tears in her eyes and pure devastation in her mind. The only thing that helped bring her back to reality was when she came to a halt at the edge of a cliff. Drawback rock towering far off in the distance, the mist shrouded the rock making it stay out menacing, all alone. All Elizabeth could do was stand there, and scream. Her throat became raspy at the constant use, the power of the scream filling everything, all she could hear was her own voice. Not even the crashing waves could top her endless fury, that's what her sadness had become.

Pure.

Unbridled.

Rage.

Soon her head began to lighten, making her feel dizzy from the too little air. Her screams no longer so fierce. Her voice gone from the constant use over the minutes, using up every last dripping drop of her sadness and converting it to the fury she now felt, the only thing she felt. She felt the need to turn cruel, become what the world is. To stab and bite. To scream and shout. To never let anyone in. To only hurt, never love. To kill or be killed. That's what she needed to be, but she couldn't. It would be a betrayal to her mothers memory, so she decided to do what only she could, and figure out what the actual fuck was going on in this world, why this was all happening.

She knew the government was corrupt, her father had always rambled on about it when they were brought up. She knew that the attacks were blamed on a specific breed of dragon, the obsidian wings. They were a type of dragon that was fierce, made from black scales that devoured all the light around them. When they flew around they seemed as if a black hole was coming in on the world, massive and awe-inspiring. That is, if you survived. Whilst there were very few left in the wild, only 5 recorded due to poaching (how anyone could kill the beasts was beyond Elizabeth). Even with their lacking numbers, they managed to slay anyone that tried to come near them, even charring innocent bystanders, never leaving witnesses. That's what the government said anyways, that's they were to be feared, to be hated, as if the government wasn't looked at the same way. The small country that Elizabeth lived in was said to be that last, their technology the only thing keeping them alive.

Elizabeth didn't know how much she believed, in the tavern had working in people often had loose lips, especially if they travelled beyond the walls. They would tell stories of people that knew nothing of technology, other then the massive walls surrounding an unknown. She often wondered if they were simply stories. Elizabeth's mother had often said that stories often ring with truth, even if the writer didn't see it. She hoped it was true, that there was life beyond the imposing walls, beyond their corrupt government. She prayed that there wasn't only this. That there was more, she hoped she wouldn't die if she went outside the walls, because that's what she might do. If she left the walls and the government was telling all truths, she would die nearly instantly. Elizabeth doubted that. She had met many claiming they had left, and returned. She hoped they were the ones telling truths. For her sake.

"Keep your stance wider, feet shoulder width, chest proud, elbow up, and your body will do the rest. It's reflux by now."  Her father said sternly, Elizabeth was a natural, though that didn't mean she went without practice. When she hit the bullseye she jumped up and exclaimed in happiness, her father shouting his pride into the air.

Elizabeth smiled lightly at the memory before remembering her purpose, frowning she returned to her search. She eventually found the pack in the basement along with her bow, she went back upstairs to the main floor to collect the food and fill her water bottle. Once she was packed up, she set off at a light job, off to the nearest wall. It would take 2 days at the jog, but she would make it.