The Invasion

Chapter 10 - Running

I ran through those woods like the devil himself was after me. And while I ran, I silently mourned. My mother, stepfather, siblings, Zeph, Lilly and her daughter... and adding them to the growing pile of people I've lost.

I ran through those woods, until there was no sound of chase behind me, until the flapping of wings was very far behind me. I jumped into a river when I came across it, and started walking on the water, so that they couldn't follow me by scent or footprints. I was tired, my legs burning, but I couldn't stop. I wouldn't stop.

The forest abruptly stopped, and understood that this river crossed a town. I hid and looked for signs of life, but I shouldn't have bothered. It was a ghost town. There was not one person alive. All the houses were destroyed and only the places where no one lived were still standing. My stomach gurgling with hunger, I went cautiously to the shops and while being carefull to not make any noise, I got some food.

I felt relatively safe, since I had made fake tracks in the oposite direction I took when I got to the river bed, so I decided to spend here the night. I took a chicken out of the freezer because I had noticed one of those grills that don't release smoke, and I cooked it, with salt, pepper, and some herbs that I was liked to use but didn't know the names.

I was so hungry after running for hours and the added stress of evading capture, plus the fact I hadn't eaten anything for many hours before leaving the house, that I ate the whole damn chicken. (I did choose a small one though.)

I took a coke out of the fridge and after drinking it, I secluded myself in the safest corner I could find in the shop with a blanked I rustled up somewhere. As soon as I lied down, I fell asleep, and Blarion came to me.

*Dreaming*

I was wearing a long dress, that made a long cute train behind me when I moved, and my hair was back to it's butt length. My nails were painted red, both hands and feet, to match the dress and I noticed I had a red rose in my hair and my feet were barefoot. I could feel the grass under my feet and it felt more soft than I ever remembered it being.

I looked around me, and noticed my surroundings for the first time. I was in a garden with a greek theme, statues, bushes, green grass, and a man-made stream starting at a statue with a vase, the woman's face making her seem like she was serene and in peace.

From behind me I heard the voice I knew all along that I would hear.

"You are so beautiful."

I spun around, and looked at Blarion with coldness, denying what I really wanted to do, that was cry, and beg him to give me my family back.

"How can I ever repay you? I am... so... sorry, for what I did. Guilt consumes me at night." He whispered all of this, with sadness in his eyes, where before I had only seen coldness. I realized though, that the coldness, now a mask, had been who he was before.

"Too little, too late." I murmured, and turned my back to him, walking to the edge of the garden and noticing this was atop a cliff, with a deep green blue greenish colour on the rocks below.

He came behind me, and I felt the air dislocation of his arm moving. I shrugged his hand when I felt his touch near enough and he sighed in, feigned ?, sadness.

"Why do you care now? After all is said and done, why do you care now? You already destroyed everything there is to destroy, my planet, my home, MY FAMILY, myself. Why should your apologies mean anything?" The first sentence was whispered but by the end, it was screaming.

He took a long time answering, probbly thinking what lie to tell me. His eyes flashed when he heard that thought, but he continued in silence. Then he spoke, hesitantly, slowly.

"I didn't care before. I didn't KNOW what caring was. It was a planet, it was weak, defenseless, so we conquered it. There was no emotion, involved in this. We just saw something we wanted, and took it. It's the way of our tribes. We never thought about natives. There was no reason to think about them.  We didn't know they were sentient though, or that they were weaker than us... When we realized it, it was already too late. most people were already dead. I am so sorry Lana, for what we did. I regret it so much I can't sleep at night." He kneeled at my feet and looked up. "Please believe me, I never meant to destroy everything there is dear to you." His eyes looked sad, but I was never one to trust easily.

"Why should I trust you?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU" He shouted. And I was stunned that for the first time he had lost his calm. Then I heard what he said. And even this being a dream, I fell to the floor in shock.