The House Of Blood and Dust, Book One: Darkness Rising

Without Hope, Without Fear

Screaming, the sounds of the people burning, their untimely slaughter, that seems to be the sound that wakes me. I sit up and look around the room, Miranda isn’t lay beside me, nor is she around the room doing her morning routine.  Neither can I hear her mother and sister talking loudly in the living room. I climb out of the bed, the mid-morning sun gazing through the window; I peer through the window and see them, still attacking the place that I’ve called home for seventeen years. I walk out onto the landing, nothing no sounds, no people just emptiness. Two Senim soldiers are downstairs, assault rifles in hand searching for perhaps me or anyone to kill really. They spot me, shots of course are fired and I have no weapons. I jump to the ground,

          “Stand down, Arkness and we won’t have to hurt you.” I wait until one heads up the stairs to jump him. I tackle him to the ground as the other shoots up the stairs once they’ve seen me pouncing like a feral cat. I punch the man in the throat but he throws me off of him and points the gun at me.

          “You’re coming with us.” The Merak doesn’t seem to obey my command, perhaps like it has a will of its own so I’m left here with just my thoughts and fists. I jump at him again hitting him in the stomach with all my might, he’s back on the floor and I’m punching him in the head. His rifle collides with my skull and I fall back off him. Mildly concussed I get back up; the soldier is only starting to so as my final act, I jump at him throwing my fist into his jaw. The other solider fires a burst into the air once more, but has yet to actually step in. I elbow the same place and he collides with the wall only for me to smash my fist into the back of his head, his neck snaps in an odd way as his head collides with wall. The soldier’s body slowly slips down the blue painted wall and smears it with his blood.

          “Stand down, Arkness.” Well I gather they are in fact after me. This one’s a female by the sounds of her and the looks. I pick the assault rifle up from the man’s corpse and point it at the woman.

          “Turns out we’re in a standoff.”

          “That is what this would….” I shoot her in the knee, “Fuck… Arkness, I’m here to help you.”

          “So it would seem…” I walk down the stairs and crack her on the nose with the rifle butt. She takes the balaclava off of her head.

          “So you’ve come here to help me?” She looks at me and takes of her mask: blonde hair and deep blue eyes, her face is quite average but yet outstandingly gorgeous at the same time.

          “Yes, me and my friend have come her to save you… your brother Zachary asked us.” She doesn’t look as if she’s lying, but it’s hard to tell with these Tatcoolen’s especially Senims.  

          “Who are you?” she smiles at me, I keep the rifle pointed at her head. Strangely she doesn’t seem so scared to have a madman point a gun at her.

        “I am Saskia Anderson daughter of Commander Anderson of the fifth SIA squadron.” I don’t lower the weapon it’s firmly pointed to her forehead.

        “Your Anderson’s daughter…where is Miranda and her family?” I don’t truly care about the family, maybe it’ll give me the edge to find Anderson and destroy him.

        “Properly dead by now… for that I am sorry… but I need you to that I am here to help get you to your brother.” I kick her in the head,

        “Take me to him and if you do not know this for sure I’ll kill you.” Blood seeps out of her nose. Saskia looks into my eyes and smiles; her fear is coming and going and a sick pleasure is coming from her.