The Orb And The Onslaught {COMPLETE}

Prologue

"Wh-where am I? What's going on?"

A hoarse voice called out into the pitch black, the voice of a scared and confused little boy.

"It doesn't matter where or what, nothing matters anymore," a second voice responded. She was solemn, sure in the certainty of her words.

"W-what do you mean? Who... who are you?"

The little boy must have tried to turn to see her because the clanging sound of metal on metal reverberated around them.

"Like I said, nothing matters anymore. Soon it will all be over, for all of us."

The boy didn't understand her words but she didn't expect him to, instead he began to bang on the bars of his cage.

"I want my mummy, let me go! I want to go home!"

She had heard it all before and knew it could last for some time, but eventually it would stop. They all gave up in the end, they became quiet and submissive. Their captors knew exactly what they were doing, they should after the many years they'd been doing it.

She leaned her head against the cool bars of her own cage. She could just about hear the shallow breathing of the other eight captives, they had also resigned themselves to what was coming. It would soon be over for all of them and there wasn't a single thing anyone could do about it.

The world as they'd known it would end, it wouldn't matter about age or status, everyone was expendable. She had learned these lessons a long time ago, no person could be trusted and no place was safe. She slid down the bars and sat with her back against them, picking at the hem of her threadbare gown that was supposed to keep out the cold- it didn't.

The only real noise came from the little boy screaming for his mother and banging against the bars of his cage. He didn't understand, he couldn't and she hoped for his sake that he never would; it would make things easier for him when the time came. Sometimes she found herself wishing she didn't know.

She lowered herself down and lay on the cold, damp floor. She curled up into a tight ball and closed her eyes, drifting in and out of fantasies from a better time. Soon, soon it would all be over and she could finally find peace.