Built on smoke and mirrors

Chapter 30

I stumbled out of the hovercraft shortly after it landed in the capital. My legs wobbling like jelly beneath me. The solid ground felt foreign after hours of flying. The craft's relentless rocking and jolting made my body feel uneasy. Each step into the fresh air sent a wave of nausea crashing over me, my stomach churning as if still caught in the turbulent air.

A light breeze hit my face, but instead of refreshing, it only intensified the queasiness. I clutched unto Ezra, my knuckles white, trying to steady myself. 

Someone bumped into me and vomited. 

At least I wasn't the only one. 

"Walter..." Ezra said in shock, causing me to look around at the capital with more attention. 

Smoke wafted into the air. Building in rubble. Steets with craters. This was not the capital I knew. I took a deep breath, the smell of burnt things filled my nose, my lungs, my body. 

A distant cry of a young child caught my attention, but no one moved. Everyone had the same look of shock that I had.

Whatever war was being fought looked like it was over.

The capital was gone. It was destroyed. 

Ezra shook loose of my grip and stifled out a cry. He sank to his knees and covered his mouth with a shaky hand. 

"Alright. All drafted, follow me!" a man said as he got out of a large blue tent. 

There wasn't anything I could say to Ezra. The capital was not my home. I could care less about the state it was in. Better if I said nothing at all. But what did I care about was Kol. If the capital was in this state, what condition was my brother in? 

I waved to the man as I run up to him. "I'm looking for someone." 

"Are you not drafted?" 

I shook my head. "No. I'm in the talent program." 

He mouthed an 'oh' then pulled out a round holographic machine from his pocket. "What's the name?"

"Kol Edman," I said as confidently as I could manage. My heart pounded in my chest and my hands grew sweaty. 

He moved his hands in the air, changing the screen that appeared in front of us. "This is him, yes?" he asked, showing a photo of my brother. 

"Yes," I squeaked, unable to force the words out of my mouth any louder. 

"He was last seen in the talent campus this morning. Bet he's still there." 

"Thank you!"

He nodded then turned around to talk to someone else.

My eyes scanned the area, trying to find Ezra. I needed to tell him what I found out. He should know. 

It didn't take me long to spot him sitting on a bench with his head in his hands. He sat there, unmoving as a group of people walked past, talking loudly. His eyes focused on the ground. 

He didn't look in any state to move on. I wasn't going to ask him to continue. But he at least deserved the right to know where I was going.

I walked over to him and sat down silently. For a few moments, I waited for him to say something, or at least acknowledge my precents. 

"I went to grade school there," he said finally as he pointed to a pile of rubble. "You wouldn't know it was a school now." He gave a humorless laugh. 

I frowned. What could I say to something like that? I never experienced something like this. Never has there been fear or war or a fight like this. 

"I never imagined a war would cause so much damage so quickly," he said as we heard gun fire in the distance.