LIGA

Prologue

Prologue[0] - LIGA

"Mom..." I said, looking down at my mother with teary eyes, her eyes were closed peacefully as if she was never to be awoken again. I shook her, The tears already falling to my chin hoping she would wake up and not be just another victim of the plaque.

But no, she had to be one. I observed my mom that was lying motionless in her mattress, worn down from being overused. Her skin was saggy from the plaque and sickly pale, her whole body was thinner than it was before all of this started, before the plaque took over.

I went downstairs to find something to put my mom in, I stumbled upon the maid's chambers that was on the ground floor. I rummaged every container - drawers, cabinets, bureaus and luggage bags. I flopped down the bed to no avail and cried into my hands, my mother was dead and I was all alone in a place full of monsters. Alone in a place full of groups of men looking for food, children, men and women to ensue into slavery. I stayed curled up in a ball thinking about the possibilities, I could fight and live or die and do nothing. Former it is, I stood up again and peeked under the beds, finding a roll of silk fabric. The bed sheets would do, but my mom didn't deserve that, she was a kind woman and when she was sick she kept away from me. And when I went in today, because I thought she was sleeping, I found her motionless corpse on her bed.

I hugged the fabric closer to my chest and walked up to mom's bedroom in my nightgown, With every step I took I knew that it was reality closing in. When I opened the left side of the double door that leads to my mom, I immediately scurried my way over her. I brushed her hair, crying as I do so and gave her a sponge bath. After that, I removed her locket and placed it on my neck. I wrapped her in the fabric and went to her windowsill, where she kept her favorite flowers. I grabbed the most healthy I could find and placed it on top of my mom's wrapped body. I then, weeped for hours beside her.

It has been days, and my stomach was eating itself. I lived by water only and the pieces of bread that were left on the cupboard. I held my stomach and groaned from the pain. I was in my room now, because my mom's room was already smelling like rotten meat.

I heard loud footsteps downstairs, heavy thuds. Then I heard men shouting, "Search every corner of the house for food!" The gruff voice yelled.

I looked around in panic, already knowing who they were. They were men, searching for food, men or women to ensue into slavery. I felt the tears that were in my eyes before instantly retreat back into my tear ducts, my instincts were kicking in.

I grabbed a thick piece of wood from the corner of my room that before, served as firewood and quickly shut the double doors of my enormous room, careful to not make any sound. Wedging the piece of wood in between the two handles, I went to the corner of the room from where I had gotten the firewood previously and grabbed my dark green backpack.

My backpack had contained what I needed to survive, because, eversince the plaque, Men had gathered to raid houses. I knew that ours would be raided soon, because we had a mansion so we prepared. I opened the window, looking down it, there would be a few branches to break my fall, and there was a fountain down there, but the water may be contaminated. I reached for the nearest branch and stepped on it, the branch was thick but it was slippery from the rain so it was hard balancing. I reached the tree's trunk and proceeded to climb down, halfway there, my foot slipped and I came in contact with the hard ground, thankfully not the fountain because at a closer look there were many insect eggs in them. I stood up, hearing the door of my bedroom upstairs slam open and shouting erupted from the men.