Raid

V

The sound of his mothers muffled sobbing resonated throughout the room. Braum hadnt slept at all that night, neither had his mother. They were both physically exhausted but their minds refused to stop racing; thinking of what theyd just seen. The mother; visions of her lover lying splayed out on the ground, his body watering the weeds. The son; fabrications of all the ways his father couldve died. She still hadnt admitted it to him. Whenever the question was brought up, all she could manage was, Ne Ne, before the tears stopped her voice.

The others in the house were sound asleep. His mothers sobs didnt reach past the main room of the house; where they lay. Braum didnt know how he felt, was there a way to be felt about this situation? The church says to forgive those who trespass against him. How is anyone expected to offer forgiveness to those godless heathens after what they did?, he thought to himself, They should be burned at the stake..

Braums heart was racing now as he bit on his bottom lip; hatred, frustration, and deep, bottomless sadness. The only thing he could think to do was to go for a walk, that always calmed him down. He sat up from the pallet on the floor, Modor, Im taking a walk.. Her sobbing lightened, Braum put a hand on her shoulder, I will be back, I just cannot sleep as of now.. She moved her hand to rest on his and moved her head up to speak more clearly. Through mucus-filled sinuses, she replied weakly, Please. She couldnt bear the thought of losing her entire family in two days. Braum caved and said, ...Alright alright. He lay back down and moved his arm over his mother, grabbing her hand to hold.

Eventually, her weeps ceased. Whether it was the crickets outside or Braums hand holding hers; she had found rest. He thought to himself, Now is my chance. Ill sneak out and shell worry not.. His hand slowly crept its way apart from hers; her breathing remained steady and shallow. Once his hand was his own again, he raised his arm up in a slow, deliberate, dramatic motion around to his side of the floor. He lifted himself off the floor and snuck toward the door. As it opened, he swung himself around to the outside of the house, ensuring to place his hand in between the door and the frame before it closed.

Outside now, he let out a stressed exhale. Just outside of the town was a fairly dense forest of what looked birch trees, he couldnt be sure in the darkness. That would be the perfect place to clear his mind. He crept past the watch that walked the streets, armed with torches for light, in case the heathens continued their assault under the cover of darkness. His brisk pace moved him through the tall grass before entering the woods.

Ill just walk in one direction, itll be fine he told himself. The sound of dry leaves and twigs crunching and snapping beneath his feet was a welcome sound compared to the constant chaos he had just experienced. The moonlight shone through the tops of the trees and bounced around inside the canopy playfully. Braum was not one to typically enjoy spending time in forests but right now, he didnt feel quite like himself. He found their uncertainty unsettling; his whole life hed been told that dangers resided in the woods.

A slight breeze flew through the forest. Braum let his hand feel around on the trees he passed. It had been far too long since he had treated himself to a recreational night walk. In the distance, he could now see a large opening in the forest canopy; where the moonlight shone through. Walking over to it, he noticed through the canopys opening, a small column of what appeared to be smoke moving towards the sky in the distance. Who would be tending a fire at this time of night?, he asked himself. Regardless of the answer, he was curious now.

The sounds of the forest reacting to his movements seemed to amplify in volume. Every little crunch of a dried leaf, every snap of a branch; seemed a thunderous alarm resonating through the land. He moved swiftly, minding his mothers inevitable worry. A warm glow broke through the wall of trees and Braums eye focused on it immediately. His stride slowed and his height shortened smoothly into a prone position, gazing into the makeshift camp. He waited for some kind of movement but the only thing his eyes wanted to see was the crackling fire in the centre.