A Collection of Stories

The War

The echo of a raspy rumbling from the enraged sea came to us, a tremulousness to fear. The waves were sloshing, slurping and slobbering with their salty lips. They pounded onto the battleship, then paused and pounced with malice before releasing.

We shivered. The sea smacked and smashed, surging waves and expunging its awful rage. Its frustrated fit over, it swelled once more, juddered and became still.

I shuddered violently and nudged myself closer into Noah's comforting embrace. It had been time for my twin brother and I to head out to fight against the Fae. We had been taught at an early age that the Fae were haughty, foul imbeciles. Our world had been relatively peaceful till they set foot on our island, Roskor.

The Fae were different from us. Silver blood ran under their skin and the powers they possessed were unfathomable. Unlike us, they were rich and could afford private transportation while we got nothing more than our own two feet. To our chagrin, the Blacks wanted more and started this useless, fruitless war that my twin and I were stuck in.

Shouts and orders peppered the air as the faint silhouette of the island sprouted from the horizon in the damp morning mist. The boats that we were shoved onto rocked violently as I clung onto Noah's arm: my only anchor from going insane.

A sniffle escaped and my brother hugged me closer. Over the years, no one was able to escape from the claws of malnutrition yet my brother still towered one head above the rest. The boats crunched into the gravel as we were herded towards the barren field, the battlefield.

There were no trees or grass around, just dirt with blotches of maroon. Our blood. I surveyed my surroundings and noted the strange silence as we got into position. We were surrounded by mountains and cliffs. The air smelt of the sea and the metallic tang of blood.

"Fern. Whatever you do stay close to me." Noah rubbed my back soothingly. I nodded and sucked in a deep breath. I memorized every detail of my brother as I wouldn't know if it would be the last time I would see him. I hope not.

All of a sudden, the silence was shattered by the sound of gunfire from above. I flinched as people around me fell to the ground. Soon, the ground turned into a scarlet sea of bodies.

It had begun.

It was pure chaos. The smell of smoke burned in my lungs. The crackling of fires as they devoured everything in its wake. I watched in horror as the Fae unleashed their powers. Some could manipulate water and fire. Some could shape rocks into anything they desired.

As the war raged around me, I tightly clutched onto Noah's hand. Using what little weapons we were given, we tried to defend ourselves. However, it was clear that we were on the road to defeat.

My attention snapped to a figure approaching our direction. He moved swiftly, slicing the Reds left and right without care. He had a fairly tall yet lean build. A dark, sandy aura swirled around him. Strange whispers filled my ears as if seeking something. "LEAVE!", a voice erupted in my head.

Without a second thought, I dash towards the way we had come, dragging Noah behind me, who to no surprise followed behind without hesitation. We had limited time to reach the boats and escape out of this hell hole. Bullets peppered the ground creating miniature craters in the ground. It reminded me of the moon and how desolate and alone we were on the battlefield.

Thinking of the damn moon was my first mistake. I saw it all happen in slow motion. A gleaming diamond blade shot towards my direction. Its destination? My very own heart. Sounds of battle disappeared as I see the blade flying straight towards me. It glinted in the air, teasing me.

In the blink of an eye, Noah is in front of me.

I scream his name as his eyes shine with a mix of sadness, pain and love. The gleaming dagger pierces through his heart as his eyes widen. He is dead before his knees hit the ground. His hand slips from my grasp.

No.

I crumbled to my knees, staring into Noah's glassy eyes. Tears coursed down my cheeks. The blade that was meant for me is now embedded into Noah's heart. My hand came away slick with warm red blood.

Something in me snapped.

The sorrow of losing my twin was quickly replaced with vengeful anger. Agony and fury rippled from me like radioactive waves. I stood up and took a step away from my brother.

How dare they murder my brother. Oh, how they would pay.

A sudden and calming bliss flowed through my veins and expanded with every beat of my heart. My hands shuddered with every step I took. My skin emitted a strange glow. All fighting ceased as every eye fell on me.

How was this possible? My blood was definitely red but how on earth could I possess a power like the Fae?

I could feel the power rise up and beg to be unleashed. In terror, the Fae started to back off. The bold ones shot bullets at my heart, but they just ricocheted off my body and hovered in the air. Some took off running like the cowards they were.

A shot of pain stabbed into my spine as my vision turned blindingly white. My head felt like it was being crushed by the ever-tightening grasp of barbed wire. My arms felt wrung like wet clothes. A severe throb had begun from the tip of my head the very tip of my toes. Excruciating pain.

Release it now. A voice pushed through the thick walls of pain and ordered firmly.

In my haze of emotions, I screamed and punched the ground beneath me as my power shot into the ground, splitting the ground in two. I watched in astonishment as the Fae around me were obliterated into flesh and bone. Cold droplets of silver fell onto my cheek as they bled. The silver droplets ran with the droplets of rain, chasing each other into the gravel as the sky began to weep.

Pain seared through my head. People fled as I cradled my broken hand to my chest. Tears ran down my cheeks in fresh torrents as the pain doubled. By now, it still felt like the barbed wire was still tightening as every second passed, but now it was laced with poison.

Something was writhing in me. A blob. A drop. A puddle, maybe. It was heavy as it swallowed my heart whole. I tried to scream, but barely get out a whimper. It seems my heart is still with me as it begins beating at a frenzy I know I won't survive, threatening to explode. Every inch of me burns. Spots darken my vision.

Before I know it, shackles bound my wrists and that's the last thing I remember before a white flash of light and sound splits my brain apart. And my entire world is in pain. It's too much of everything but strangely nothing at all. I realize that I am being obliterated inside my own skin.

My skin must be gone by now. Perhaps I'll be given the mercy of bleeding to death. That will be quicker than this white abyss. Kill me. The words repeat over and over. That's my only desire now as a blue shadow envelops me in warmth.

This was one of the first few stories I've ever written years ago.

xx