in which a girl with a heavy burden tries to find her way through the trials and torments of the earth they've come home to.
OR
in which she must rebuild.
EMBERS
JOHN MURPHY
DEATHLIES 2016
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN T...
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T W O
Lilla Hartley holds the gun firmly in her hands, never for a second letting her guard down as she stalks between the trees, keeping in line with her squad.
They'd barely had any time to take in the sights and smells of the ground, but they had a duty. They would find and aid any survivors from the hundred, kill any hostiles, kill any grounders. They would not lose any more of their number today and Lilla wasn't going to be the one to blame if everything fell apart again.
But the breath rests fresh in her lungs. Nothing like the stale air of The Ark. The rippling and rustling of the leaves in the breeze would've been unnoticeable to a native, but for those who fell from the sky, it was as if they'd been deaf their entire lives.
Before the Ground, Lilla was sure none of them truly knew that sound could have beauty. Alas, there they were with weapons in their hands, beauty folding them into the world as if they'd never left.
She wants to keep her focus, but can't help but think back to the way she'd gripped her mother's hand incredibly tightly in their fall from space. The terror she felt, she knew she'd never feel again. Nothing could compare to free-falling like that, not knowing if they were going to land or if they were going to crash in a ball of fire.
"We will live," Her mother had whispered, eyes squeezed shut and head back against the metal wall. "We will live. I believe, I have faith."
"Faith," Lilla had breathed out, squeezing the aging hand of her mother, feeling every line and wrinkle beneath her palm. "We will survive."
And they did, but Lilla wondered for how much longer. How much longer would they be fighting for their lives? Their entire life? She prays that this was not the truth as she knows it. Prays for a cease in disaster so that they may just live, not survive, just live.
Lilla's eyes scan the treeline, looking for any potential threat, as Kane leads them at the head of the pack.
Then, coming into view, was a single grounder.
Lilla didn't quite have a visual on what he was doing, but it looked as if he had two hostages, tied up. She flexed her finger around the trigger, wondering if it was going to be her to fire the shot this time. Part of her wanted the victory, the glory, but there was still a bite in her that didn't want to be the cause of death.
That bite of the lingering child.
The little girl who played with dolls and ratty, old teddy bears. The little girl who cried when mummy told her she couldn't have an extra portion of food.
The little girl who was ignorant.
She was not that little girl anymore. She was a member of the guard and she could kill on command, without hesitation.
Kane fired the shots, walking as he went.
And it was all over before Lilla knew it, disappointed at her lapse in concentration and lack of participation. She lowers her gun and takes in the sight of the two before her.
