Product of War

“Well, crap.” Valkyrie said. Blue, red and white lights were flashing beneath her.

“Girls get down and I won’t have to use force.” A very familiar voice called out.

“I can’t believe how quick they got here. Who tipped them off?” Jacqueline asked.

“Don’t make me come up there again!”

Skystruck was a beautiful city nestled between the northern and east hills, on the border of Myst. As a result, the treat of another war always hung heavy in the air. What had people flocking to Skystruck despite the threat of war was the sky. What looked like multi colored dashes adorned the sky. Swirls formed shapes as they moved. Shining brightest of all the odd colors was the bright yellow moon that hung in the corner of the sky, ripe for the picking.

“This place would be so much better if this building wasn’t standing.” Valkyrie said as she slowly began to climb down.

The building she was referring too was the morgue. It stood tall in the very middle of Skystruck, rising like a shard of broken glass, silent and hunting, reminding all of their violent past. People saw it as a harsh reminder. The temple twins saw it as an opportunity for mayhem. It was off limits to the general public, so whenever they had the time, they’d climb the black spikes that covered the structure and try to find a way to get in.

“After we break in, we should burn it down.”

Valkyrie grinned at her. “We totally should.”

            “What were you girls thinking? Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep your shenanigans from the public?”

Mr Perry was a tall man in his mid-thirties. He was good looking, with a defined jaw, bright blue eyes and dark hair. He always wore a fitted tee on dark jeans. A few days’ worth of stubble was on his face, bags hung under his eye. His normally stylishly messy hair looked like he’d just rolled out of bed.

“Wow Perry, you’ve let yourself go.” Valkyrie said, leaning back in her chair.

He ran a hand through his already messy hair. “Myst has been threatening war again.”

“They’ve always been threating war.”

“Our spies have reported a lot of activity on our border. If they attack now, during the peak of the tourist season, it’ll be bad.”

“Why are you telling us this? We’re just two teenage punks.” Jacqueline said, with a crooked eyebrow. He shrugged. “If Myst does attack, it will be everyone’s war. Even yours.”

“What is in the morgue?” Valkyrie asked.

Perry raised a wary eyebrow. “Why do you want to know?”

“Myst only really began to threaten war after that damn thing was built in the middle of the bloody village.  What does Myst want so much from us?”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t see why I should tell you. If I see either of you girls near the morgue, I’ll throw you in prison for a couple days. Now scam.”

            “We have to break in. No way Perry doesn’t know what’s in there.” Valkyrie said. They sat on the roof of a house a few blocks away from the morgue. Jacqueline lay stretched out beside her, watching the commodity of colours.  “We’ll do it tonight. Do you still have your Shuriken? I have a feeling we’re gonna need them.”

            The inside of the morgue was dark and damp, with shelves going on as far as the eye could see.  Those shelves were broken into smaller spaces, with a prone body lying in each space. The smell was horrible. Steps lined the opposite ends of the circular room, disappearing in the damp darkness. In the centre of the room, stood a statue. As they slowly inched forward, they saw it was a statue of a woman. She stood tall, towering over them. She was clothed in a toga. Her hands were clasped in front of her, as if in a prayer. Her feet were bare. A skeleton was bent at her feet in a permanent and painful display of submission. Her face was strong but delicate, arched eyebrows over shut eyes. A proud nose sat atop her sealed mouth. Golden flecks covered every inch of visible skin, giving her an otherworldly appearance. On the floor before her, words were engraved.