Human

The girl in the storm

The farm had been obliterated. The barn no longer had a roof and the stables where now just stalls that held the dead carcasses of horses. There was movement beneath a tree that had fell and a girl, no more than twenty, pulled herself from under its branches. She called out for her parents, her family, for any signs of life. When none came she climbed through the destruction, wincing at the many cuts and bruises that dirtied her small frame.

She limped towards the barn, finding the building in shreds, wood was piled within the walls and tools made the floor a minefield. What was worse, was the little boy that lay trapped between the timbers, a pitchfork protruding from his side. The girl cried out helplessly, he looked peacefully asleep, but it was evident that this was not true. She looked away and cursed at the sky, brushing back her bloodied mattered hair. She left him, for there was no possible way she could help without killing herself. She didn't cry because she knew there was nothing she could do, instead she continued to search the farm for her parents.

She found the people who brought her into this cruel world, still in the house. Her mother was in what was left of the kitchen, beneath the ceiling fan, her pale skin and silvery hair making her ghost like. Her father was in bed still, however, his eyes where open and a hand placed on his chest, the storm hadn't killed him but it had been the stimulant for the heart attack that had taken him those early hours of the afternoon. The girl left them where they lay, biting back tears,knowing their souls would wish to reside at where they felt most wanted. Home.

Inside she was breaking, but nothing would make her show that, she trudged through the mess that was once home, she had to leave and find home elsewhere. Looking back at the farm she saw how everything was destroyed except for the bedroom that she called her own. Based on the second floor, it was all that was left, it was untouched. She pondered as to why this might be but storms leave things to chance, and looking at it, Earth was giving her another.

She kicked something soft and looked down seeing Rosie, the farm pig, her snout twitched and the girl crouched stroking the females stomach and patting her back. She almost cried for the pig being alive but her hope was cut off as Rosie lay down grunting through unsteady breaths. Rosie then let out a squeal and rolled onto her side lifting her leg up slightly. The pig was in fact pregnant and upon remembering this she cooed for the pig to stay still, but it cried out in pain. Muttering softly the girl continued to pat the sow as it grunted in effort, it was pushing to give birth, but it had suffered a lot of shock and knocks from the storm, so its attempts were weak. The girl couldn't help but cry now as she saw the first signs of life coming from the sow, and as the cycle began it finished also as Rosie heaved and shut her eyes. The girl nudged the female pig but it was obvious she had left this cruel world and joined another.

The girl ran back to the house rushing to grab a cloth, knife, water and scissors. She found them quickly avoiding looking at her mother that lay asleep on the kitchen tiles. She ran to the now lifeless sow and placed the blanket down, its soft material sticking to the dirt on her hands. She never imagined shed face this but she knew that it had been nine months since realising the sows predicament and, picking up the scissors she cut a slice across the pink flesh. Blood flowed from the cut and the girl bit down on her lip to keep herself from looking away. She fumbled for the womb and sliced through, seeing a clear membrane covering a litter of small frail babies she popped it and pulled the piglets from their mother. When all eight of them lay on the blanket she washed away the grime and kept them warm nudging them for signs of waking. Seven of them stayed silent when one whined. The girl picked the piglet up and cradled it close rocking it to sleep. She arranged the stillborns into a huddle by their mothers stomach and covered the blanket over them, if she thought positively, they where still sleeping.

She kept the piglet with her as she took supplies from the house, a bag filled with enough to keep her and a small animal alive for at most two weeks was what she re-emerged with. The small creature grunted softly as she walked away from the farm and onto the fields that where littered with debris. She would find a new home, but in the meantime she had to be aware of what Earth itself would have in store for her.

And I can tell you it isn't going to pretty.