Ashes

The War

Screams and shots fill the air, echoing through my ears. My vision is blurry and my nose burns with smell of smoke.

My eyes focus on a figure in front of me. It's my mom. Her once beautiful mossy green eyes are now dark and wide open. Unblinking. Glassy and hollow. There's blood spilling out of her nose and mouth. My beautiful mother. Her once vibrant skin is now pale with the stain of death.

I scream as a sharp pain suddenly shoots from my side. My hand instinctively goes to my ribs. Blood. I've been shot. I look up at my attacker. His face is covered by a wolf mask. It's fur is stained with blood from the war.

I see my brother lunge from behind him. Latching onto his back and sinking a blade into the wolf mans neck. He goes down and my brother picks me up in his arms. I hold on for dear life as he carries me to our cabin. We get to the door and a deafening bang goes off.

We fall and Im suddenly hit with a river of blood. I squirm from underneath his body. Tears fill my eyes and I go dizzy as they fall upon a gaping hole in his head. My sister shrieks and pulls me inside and locks the door. She sets me on the bed. Her skin is pale with fear and her eyes are brimming with tears. She focuses on getting my side patched up with shaky hands. A loud banging on the door makes us both jump and cling to each other. She starts to wail, clutching me to her chest.

"Go away," she screams in tears. "Leave us alone!" Her words are choked with fear and pain.

There's another loud bang and the door swings open. My sister starts to wail again as another wolf man holds his hand to her head. Dark wisps swirl around his arm and hand. Tears stream down her face. I feel a warm hand be held to my own and she starts to scream.

"She's just a child! Please, don't do this!"

What happens next is almost like it's in slow motion. His hand clenches, my sister screams and pushes his arm. The black dagger slices my ear, sending waves of pain throughout my head. I fall to the floor. I hear another bang and a thud as my sister falls too. I lay as still as I can, fearing for my life. The wolf men must've thought they killed both of us because then they left. I clutch my ear and crawl over to my sisters body. Tear drops fall into her bloody cheeks.

The pain takes me over and I collapse on top of her. Everything goes dark.