Shadows in the night

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

A soft breeze caressed her face as if Mother Nature herself had finally realised my pain and had taken pity on me. Regretful moans swept around me. Gently spoken apologies and a comforting embrace. It blew icy trails down my cheeks. The wrenching pain within my chest had dulled to a bearable ache. The throbbing told me that my heart had finished tearing itself apart. Now a vortex took its place. A nothingness, absorbing all emotions. Shock had frozen my mind. Rational thought had deserted me. Abandoned me to the vortex, the numbing nothingness.

My vision swam. Tantalising colours danced before my eyes. Pale blue twirled above, green waved ahead and brown swirled below me.. I turned my head slightly, making the colours waltz together. Its simplicity was breath taking. I wanted to live in this humble beauty of colours without design or structure. I never wished to see outlines ever, ever again. I want to be lost in the swirling dance of light and the colours. For I numbly knew that only horror would greet me if I returned into the complex reality.

 Red, a blazing red suddenly sparked up in the corner of my vision. Bursting forth everywhere, burning away, until it conquered every other colour. Red and black. They fought together, side-by-side, destroying the modest, neutral hues. With them, the peace also fled and fear became ruler once more. More water sprung to my eyes causing the reds to swirl faster more menacing than before. Even in my simple world I had created, even surrounded with only colour – no people, no blades, no blood and no death – I was still not safe from fear.

A tear rolled down my face, it stole some moisture away from my bleary, unfocused eyes. Stealing that had shielded me from reality.

“Natasha!”

“NATASHA!”

I blinked. Tears now streaming down my face and dripping off my chin to soak into my dress. Mike sat huddled beside the chimney next to me. One hand grasped the stone structure while the other gripped my arm fiercely, knuckles white from the strain and small streams of blood flowed down my forearm from where his nails had pierced my skin. The blood splashed gently upon the straw beneath us, staining it crimson. I felt no pain. I felt nothing, just an encompassing numbness.

I lifted my gaze and caught sight of the dancing torch just before it flew towards us. It roared, opening its inflamed wings like a phoenix reborn. A glorious sight until gravity bested it. The torch tumbled clumsily down and smashed into the roof a few feet from us. Bright embers darted upwards; swirling on the gentle breeze while the flames marched restlessly towards us with a cruel speed. The straw crackled and spat as it succumbed to its heinous fate. The black, poisonous fumes gathered like a dark spirit rose from dead. A faceless monstrosity, it feasted upon all the clean air and coated Mike and I with hot burning ash.

I hacking cough assaulted my throat. The dust clawed down my oesophagus, scratching and burning it raw. My lungs heaved heavily in an attempt to claim more oxygen form the stifling air but every torturous lungful only caused more exhaustive coughing to ail me. The flames were galloping towards us. The heat was tremendous; scorching every inch of exposed skin till my sweat and tears shrieked as they sizzled against the burning heat. Time was running out.

The immediate danger awoke something within my mind. Suddenly, the clouds cleared from my consciousness. A cold, calculating, side of me burst forth, a side of me a did not know existed. It violently shoved away the emotions. It focused in surviving the fire.

I snatched Mike’s arm and scrambled to my feet, facing the flames head on. I inhaled. Then, dashed towards the encroaching inferno. Slipped and slide through the barrier, dragging my friend with me. The flames lept over us, licking at our exposed skin and singing our hair but we were through, plummeting to the ground, before it could burn. The cool breeze felt like a god-scent over my blistering skin but I could not relive in the feeling too long. The hard earth was there too soon. A sharp agony rocketed up my left leg right to the knee. A howl ripped from my throat and a pathetic sob soon followed.

We scrambled to our feet and ran. We ran. Desperation fuelled our feet. Pain had tears spewing from my already parched eyes with every merciless step. I feel the broken fragments of bone grounding together with every stride. However, the fear of the soldier trumped every ounce of pain I felt. The sight of the nearby forest crept towards us with heartlessly slow speed. A thundering of hooves, rumbled behind us. Our fear and determination spiked.

Abruptly, all hope was dashed from us as the horsemen came upon us. The demonic creatures circling us in an ever-tightening circle. Their unearthly pants whirled around their muzzles. Froth clung and dribbled form their lips as frantic black eyes stared down at us. The long tails, turned into vicious whips as they cracked the air. We both tried to dive through the jungle of legs to the sanctuary of the dark forest but it was useless. Like I said, all hope was dashed.

The soldiers thundered to the ground, the chargers’ halters ringing. Strong arms entangled around my thin, frail body like possessed vines. A thick, dirt hand muffled the screams that burst from my lips and my struggles came to no avail. I kicked, I punched, I scratched, and I bit and tore. Tears blinded me again and I soon became a slobbering, spluttering mess. Snort dribbled from my nose and my eyes squeezed tightly shut in surrender. My leg was in a state of agony. However, noting compared to my bleeding heart.

I vaguely felt my capturer dragging back to the cobbled square and thrown into the wooden cage with the rest of the children. Soon the cart began jerking beneath us and I knew, we were leaving our precious home behind. I took a last long lingering look. The smoke rose like a black tornado, swirling up into the sky. The fires still rages, a bright dance of red and gold. I saw my home… what was my home. I watched with a sorrow-filled fascination as I saw the blazing ember that was left of my happy memories. The straw roof cracked and spluttered before brusquely compassing in on itself. A torrent of embers and ash swirled up before settling on the blistering remains… and I continued to watch as the scene gradually grew smaller and smaller. Then, just before we dipped into a valley, I witnessed the far wall crumble to the ground with an earth-shattering boom.

Long after the rolling green hills masked the nightmare from view, I stared after it. My memory keeping the scene alive. Days slipped into the weeks. I took no real notice, still staring out at the spot where I last saw my home. The other children snivelled and bawled in their own silence. No one spoke. Not even when the large city gates loomed above us.

I guess suffering in silence brings its own comforts.