Animegas (Editing)

Animegas

Prologue 

        It was only a few hours past midnight, but not quite early enough to produce the sun’s light. The sky was clear; its black curtain held uncountable stars and a sliver of a moon. The dim shining of the sky slightly illuminated the Earth below. Underneath the eternal space sat a rather average looking farm house. Its white painted walls were a bit dirtied and worn from age and weather; but the building looked warm and inviting nonetheless.

        One of the windows on the second floor was opened wide; allowing a cool breeze to blow into the stuffy bedroom. The soft wind caused a few loose objects to flutter and ruffle before it retreated back to the outside. Inside of the room, lying on a small twin-sized bed, a young girl slept peacefully. Her 11th birthday would be coming within a few days, and her dreams were full of hopes for the event. She smiled blissfully at the small fantasies that flashed through her mind.

        Despite the open window, the room only seemed to get stuffier. Heat began to radiate off of the walls and floor; quickly causing a discomforting environment on the inside. Tossing and turning from the sudden change of atmosphere, the child fought to stay inside of the dream world. She did not want to leave it, as there were too many happy events going on in her imaginary kingdom.

        Smoke soon followed the heat. It curled and shuddered as it crawled under the door and into her bedroom. Sensing the danger of the situation, the girl allowed herself to be pulled out of paradise and back into reality. Drawing in a deep breath, she sat up instantly and looked around the room. The grey smoke had filled her resting place, covering everything in an eye-stinging film. Her bedroom door threw itself open, revealing the murky form of a blonde woman.

        Adjusting the crying baby in her arms, she beckoned for the girl to hurry out into the hallway. “Samantha, we have to get out of here quickly.” Shadows danced across the walls and floor behind the woman. Bright orange and yellow light filled the hallway, slowly drawing closer to them.

        Nodding softly, the young girl, Samantha, followed her mother to the outside. The heat in the rest of the house was blistering and caused their clothes to steam a bit. There were several instances where the duo had to dodge falling debris or crops of flames. But, in the end, they all made it out alright. They dashed outside, only to meet the girl’s father the moment that they had stepped on the dirt ground.

        Looking back, Samantha saw that their entire house had caught on fire. Flames licked out of any opening that they could find. Heavy smoke filled the air, causing her to cough a few times to rid her lugs of the tainted air. Shouting came from the other side of the building, only to grow nearer with every passing moment.

        Her father, a tall man with dark brown hair, turned his attention towards the large forest behind their estate. In a panicked state, he shoved his wife and daughter in that direction. His emerald orbs flickered over to the source of the voices, and then back to his frightened family. “Lily, take the kids and escape into the wood.” He rasped, coughing a few times due to the smoke. “I’ll catch up with you soon.”

        Although she knew that her spouse’s words were far from truthful, the woman hugged her baby boy close and nodded. Tears began to build up in her vision as she made the decision that would save her children. Grabbing onto Samantha’s small hand, she darted towards the welcoming arms of the trees. Despite the silent sobs shaking her body, the mother tried to stay strong in the presence of her two little lights.

        It wasn’t long until a gunshot could be heard from the direction of their burning home. There was a series of cheering, as well as a few additional shots that were fired in celebration. Soon after, the voices of their unknown attackers began to draw closer to the remaining family members. The barking of a few dogs could be heard as they caught the scent of the fleeing people.

        The girl grew even more confused and scared as the seconds passed; even more so when her mother decided to stop entirely. “Mom…” She squeaked. “What’s going on? Who are those men?”

        Fear and sorrow etched on the woman’s pretty features, she knelt down to her daughter’s level. A small smile had curved onto the blonde’s lips; although it began to waver the longer that she wore it. Instead of explaining, the mother handed her now-sleeping son to the girl. She took a shaking hand and cupped her child’s chin, pulling her closer in order to kiss her forehead.

        “Samantha…you are strong willed and kind. This world will try to take that from you, but don’t let it.” The tears that Lily was trying to hide were now pouring down her cheeks in heavy streams. Despite this, she fought to keep the gentle smile. “Take care of Max; he’ll need your protection. Remember who are. I love you, Samantha Fay. I always will.”

        The girl completely understood what was happening. She would never, ever see her parents again. Her brother would be her only family left; and she would have to raise him all on her own. Fighting back her own tears, Samantha squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. She knew that protesting wouldn’t help; it would only cause more heartbreak and would only push them further into danger. Not trusting her own words, she hugged her brother close and dashed in the opposite direction.

        The men’s yelling and jeering had grown very close, at this point. Even though she wanted to turn back and run into the false security of her mother’s arms, Samantha pushed on. She could hear her mother talking with the men, trying to buy them some time. Her words began to fade into empty gibberish as the girl put distance between her and their attackers. Because of the silent forest, it was easy to hear the series of gunshots that ended her mother’s life. The woman hadn’t even screamed to signal that she had fallen; she had just died without a sound.

        Samantha continued running blindly. She didn’t know where she was going; nor did she care. Warm tears dripped down her cheeks in steady streams. The droplets either fell on her brother’s head, or on her own dirtied nightgown. “I love you, mom!” She sobbed. “I love you, dad.”