Beyond The War Dreams

Another morning, but a different day

"KRaCkOOmMM" 

The thunder rattled the house making me shutter and crawl in my skin. It's 4:15 in the morning. I slowly heaved myself up off the bed greeting the moon covered in clouds. I got my clothes and everything ready for today.  "The Draft" where anyone can go to help with the war if they wanted to. As a 24-year-old girl, I choose to. 

Desamonda: Ugh where's my phone?!

I stumbled in the dark searching my desk. When I found it I plopped back on the bed and looked at my phone seeing some directions to help me remember where to go and how to get to the city. Anxiety and excitement built up inside me more giving a tight churning feeling in my stomach. I wanted to learn new things and see new cultures, not just my own. To see new people and hear their languages and eat their food, to understand much more than this poor broken place. I want to travel even farther than anyone in my town. I wanted to get out of here. Its gloominess seeps into your soul, causing depression and sorrow. Even behind the seconds of happiness, they return back to the same sad way they were before. It seems like nothing can really overcome it, not even Mother Earth herself. 

I decided to sleep a little bit longer before I had to leave in order to catch the train. Closing my eyes, I slip deeper and deeper into a lucid dream I can hear the planes, I can feel the ground rumble. I smell sulfur and dust in the air. Beautiful buildings that once stood tall and proud are now reduced to rubble, broken glass, and burned wood. I hear metal clashing in the distance as my dream finally settles. Just a quick flash. Just a vision, part of a dream. Slowly getting up again I could see the sun, the bright warm heat tingling on my face. So soothing and relaxing, it made me want to share that feeling with someone, the feeling of never being alone. I closed my eyes and the feeling dissipates, the trance I was in broke. I felt the sadness again feeling the warmth of the sun leaving, shying its way behind the morning clouds. I grabbed my brush and my bags.

Desamonda: Why can't I sleep? This is annoying.

But even then the struggle of getting up and going to my job is hard enough, it was never easy for most to wake up nowadays.  Maybe it's the corrupt government never caring about anything but their next paycheck. Always leaving their people in the dark. We've always heard these conspiracy theories about how the government was "poisoning us" but yet that seemed too far-fetched for me. Then there's the war itself. Legend has it that this has been going on for hundreds of years, but no one really knows anymore. It's taken so much from us that it's pretty much a part of our lives. Then theres rumors of a curse going around, changing and corrupting people into... things. Yes magical beings, creatures, and deities exist but even this curse seems too far fetched.

I grabbed my picture from the frame and looked at it, soft warmth swept over my body. Family. I have to leave my family in order to do this, maybe not even coming back. I dont have any other choice though. Not a lot of people from my town are willing to volunteer and most if not all are starving and struggling to get by. The government is willing to provide food and money to anyone who volunteers and to their families well. I checked the clock again and realized...

Desamonda: I'M LATE!!!!

I grabbed everything I needed and rushed out the door knocking over a lamp and looked back for a second before slamming and locking the door. I throw my bag over my shoulder and started to sprint towards Deenlic Train station. I tried to concentrate on everything around me, even here is not safe. As I arrive I notice a crowd in front of the train. As I squeeze through the crowd I notice  women and men crying for their loves ones. They were saying goodbye to their children. Sons and daughters, sisters and brothers. They knew they might not come back from this war. History always seems to repeat itself. I reached the terminal and scanned my card. A green light shines and the gate opens allowing me to go through. The train gives a small squeak with all the weight of everyone, the train started moving.

" Am I really going to miss this train after everything that has happened, everything I have gone through to get here"

 I reached for the handle and jumped on as the outside doors closed. The interior doors open and the cool crisp smell of clean new leather swept over me. I've never been on a train or  plane before. I always traveled on foot or horse, but even then I have never been passed our borders of Deenlic. Now, I'm moving on, going to a city. A rich city full of working people, liars, thieves, and corrupt business. Im going to the city of, Adalric.