Revelations // h.s

Prologue // P.O.W.

        The crumbled sidewalk beneath my feet made for a great distraction as I dragged myself to my destination for the day. I used to drive to pick up my younger sister from school but since the war had begun and the checkpoints had been set up, my parents revoked my right to drive and I am now forced to walk or bike everywhere I go. Not that it makes a significant difference seeing as the farthest place I ever need to go by myself is 15 miles away at most. Once you leave the outskirts of town it is at least an hour to any sort of civilization. This is the reason, I’m assuming, that our town has been chosen in some sort of draw to house a makeshift military base.

                I arrive fifteen minutes late to retrieve Valerie who, characteristically, is slumped against a pillar, one hand supporting her head, pouting. As I approach she raises her head slowly, a glare gracing her small features. The same glare my father often sports, but the fire in her eyes burns with my mother’s steel blue. “Hey Val, you ready to go?”

“You’re late.” She scolds. A sigh escapes my lips as I stare down at my only remaining sibling, sending a silent prayer to Brady, wherever he may be. I miss you. I wish Valerie could have known you. I could use your strength these days. Valerie’s direct, staged cough pulls me from myself and I glance down towards her before motioning for us to begin the trek home.

                We had been travelling down the back road in a strained silence for no more than ten minutes when an obvious sway to the trees picked up. I absentmindedly reach for Valerie’s smaller hand and caution slows my pace as I survey our surroundings. She lets me pull her closer in to me, and I know she is thinking the same thing I am. There’s no way to know if we will be attacked or even what type of weapons to expect. The thought of some sort of Bio-Weapon releasing deadly pathogens into the air makes me hold my breath as if it could save me. You’d both seen the articles, heard the reports of the pure horror civilizations have been subjected to in the past months. Any post-Cold War guarantee of peace and disposal of nuclear weaponry has been long forgotten. Valerie’s panicked inspection of the surrounding area makes my eyes sting. I wish, again, for Brady’s presence.

                With a reassuring squeeze of her hand, I push my baby sister behind me and apprehensively continue on. The closer we get to the end of the road, the louder the commotion becomes. The earlier winds were obviously that of helicopter blades, the only real recognizable sound above all the shouting. I find myself wishing I had not let my impatience get the best of me and taken the main road. The shortcut of trails and backroads cuts at least twenty minutes off the walk, dropping us in the town center, a twenty minutes I would gladly take over the multitude of possibilities awaiting us around the corner.

                I turn to Valerie, holding her terrified glance for a few moments, trying to conceal my own fear. No amount of anger or jealousy I could hold towards my sister could make this moment hurt less. Much like the way I know that no matter how much Val may wish I didn’t exist on a day-to-day basis, she has never been so glad that she doesn’t walk home alone.

                I release a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, out of pure relief, when I turn the corner. A very large group has gathered around the helicopter pad and everyone is nervously chattering, eyes glued to the vehicle. The engine cuts and a thick silence falls. Everything around me is out of focus, as I too join in the staring contest with the helicopter. The door flies open with a metallic screech and a foot ladder is shot out to the ground. My eyes trail one rung at a time to the opening of the door. As a man who appears to be American military steps foot on the ladder the crowd retreats a step as if pushed back by an invisible force, everyone stumbling backwards at once. The silence is unsettling as the man surveys the area. I lock my glance with his, the sharp line of his jaw and the distinct point of his nose make my eyes ache and I instinctively take a cowering step back. He tears his gaze from mine to turn back to the helicopter and aggressively shout to whoever is inside.

                Heavy footsteps sound as half the town watches an anomalous group of men make their way off the aircraft and are pushed one by one into a tented Army truck. I run my eyes along the perimeter of the crowd and count 11 armed military personnel. I look behind me to check on Val, she seems to be equally invested in taking in the spectacle. Cautiously, I tap on the shoulder of the woman in front of me, she turns with a start and I send her an apologetic smile. “What is all this?”

“P-O-Ws.” She answers shortly and purses her lips as she takes in my confused expression. “Prisoners of War.” The woman clarifies. “Rumor is they were found up in a Capitol forest on a break for Fort Lewis to attack.” As she speaks I steal glances at the men still being loaded in the truck, most of them young.

“W-what country?” I manage to sputter out, my throat cracking as I do so.

“That’s the scary part,” She mutters under her breath. “They’re part of the British Army. We were supposedly in alliance with all of the UK. This means nothing but trouble.”

                With a brief thank you and nod of my head, I begin pulling Valerie through the crowd towards home. My knuckles are white with strain due to my iron grip on Val’s hand when I turn back to look, though she doesn’t seem to mind. In fact she looks almost grateful for my use of force.

                My legs are burning and although we are at least five blocks from the scene by now, my pace doesn’t relent until a sharp tug on my arm snaps breath back into my lungs. I turn abruptly to an exasperated Valerie, who’s flushed cheeks tell me she needs a break. We both plop onto the ledge of the sidewalk, and let the adrenaline work its way out of our veins.

                I turn my head upwards and notice the gray covering of clouds that has settled in, the sky glows brightly still. A nearly blinding diffused gleam that brings my gaze back down. The sound of my blood rushing is present in my ears as my breathing regulates. I pull Val into my side and place a chaste kiss to the top of her head, letting my eyes fall closed. The image of the torn up men burns on the inside of my eyelids and I tense my jaw at the image. The thought of today’s events is unsettling and causes my stomach to turn.

 

                I stand and pull Valerie up with me, muttering a quick ‘come on’ and cutting through Mrs. Brine’s backyard and starting towards home with my still-shaking little sister in tow.

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Prologue? Yeah?