Jay Wilshire: The Tragedy of Niflhel

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Your Smile Was Empty

I woke up coughing to find that smoke had filled the house. I looked over at my window to find that there was an orange glow coming from outside. I got up from my bed and covered my mouth and nose with the sleeve of my pajamas. I walked over to my window to look outside. Outside my window, I found that the entirety of the world I knew was engulfed in flames. I turned away from the window.

"Mal?" There was no response. I ran across the upstairs to her room. It was empty. "MAL!" I searched the rest of the rooms upstairs before heading downstairs. "Mal!" When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I started to search the downstairs for Mal. I coughed as I searched the house only to find that it was empty. What remained of our dinner was still sitting on the dining room table. Mal hadn't even bothered putting the food away.

I didn't even think to grab my shoes or coat as I ran to the front door. I opened the front door and stepped outside into the chaos. People were running around doing what they could while people wearing the same strange clothes like the ones that had been in the market that one time walked the streets. One of them spotted me as I stepped out of the house. I turned and ran to avoid the strange people that were wandering around the island.

Mal had always said that in the case of an attack we were to head to the rocky shoreline where she had a small boat stored, but I decided that I was going to try saving at least one person. The person I decided to try saving was Gala. I ran through the alleyways between the houses to avoid being spotted. I turned to run between two burning buildings when I spotted one of the strange people.

I could smell my hair and flesh burning from the heat of the flames. I emerged out onto the main road where people were fighting with some of the strange people. I turned to continue in the direction of Gala's house. I went only a few feet before I tripped over something partially buried in the snow. I pushed myself up from the snow and looked to see what I had tripped over. I recognized the face of the woman I had seen talking to Dr. Selos right before Mal returned.

Her eyes were open and lifeless, staring up at the sky. I remembered her excitement at hearing the news that she was pregnant with her first child, and I remembered how none of the excitement in her voice and actions was reflected in her eyes. The once pure white snow that surrounded her had been splatted with blood tainting its purity and turning it red. There were people screaming from nearby as I reached out with my right hand. My fingertips brushed over her eyelids, and I pulled them down to close her eyes. I pulled my hand away and pushed myself up from the ground.

I turned away from the woman's lifeless body and heard a creaking sound. I looked up to see the overhang of the closest building buckle sending sparks showering down on top of me. I jumped to the side to avoid being crushed by the falling burning debris. I landed on my feet and turned to look back at where I had been standing. There was a pile of burning debris. I turned and ran along the main road until I caught up to a large group of the people invading the island as they took their time dragging people from their houses and lighting the houses on fire. I ducked into an alleyway between a couple of houses to avoid being seen.

"What do we have here?" I turned to see a man dressed in the strange clothing towering over me. He was reaching out towards me. I backed out of his reach and out of the alleyway. "Don't be shy." I turned and ran back in the direction of Mal's house for a bit and crossed the street.

Once I had crossed the street, I passed between two burning buildings. I stepped out on the backside of the buildings and saw the tree line in the distance. I quickly glanced around looking for anyone dressed in the strange clothing. I didn't see anyone dressed in the strange clothing, but I did spot several people from town running into the trees. I decided to use the trees as cover to reach Gala's house. I ran into the tree line and turned to head in the general direction of Gala's house.

When I spotted the hospital through the trees, I knew that I was close to Gala's house because she didn't live that far past the hospital. I exited the tree line and made my way over to the back of the buildings that lined the edge of the tree line. I had passed Gala's house. I slipped between the two closest buildings and walked slowly towards the main road. I paused at the edge of the buildings and watched the people on the main road for a bit before slowly stepping out of the alleyway.

I turned to make my way back to Gala's but stopped when I saw a man dressed in the strange clothing step out of Gala's house dragging her by the hair behind him. Her shirt was torn open, and she was covered in freshly forming bruises. She wasn't wearing pants, and I noticed the red blood running down her legs staining her pale skin. The man threw Gala out into the snow.

"Now, be a good little whore and tell me where to find the Wilshire." I watched as Gala pushed herself up from the snow. She looked back at the man with a fire in her eyes that I had never seen before.

"I'll never tell you where she is." Gala got to her feet and turned to face the man. I watched as the man reached for something at his side. I watched in horror as he pulled a sword from its sheath.

"I'll give you one more chance." The man held the tip of his sword pointed at Gala. "Tell me where she is!" I took a step towards Gala, and she looked over in my direction briefly before looking in the other direction. When she'd looked in my direction there had been a spark of recognition in her eyes. Gala finally settled her gaze filled with defiance and hatred on the man standing in front of her.

"I'll die before I tell you anything." Frustration was written all over the man's face as he took his sword in both hands and raised it.

"No." My voice was nothing more than a whisper. The man took a step forward as he swung his sword.

"RUN!" Gala screamed, but I stood there frozen.

I watched as the man's sword sliced through Gala starting at her right shoulder and going diagonally down her body. Her blood splattered the snow around her. She smiled as she fell to the ground, but this smile was different. I could see the warmth of her smile reflected in her eyes this time. Her smile from earlier hadn't reached her eyes. It had seemed empty.

"Let's do this again tomorrow." There was no tomorrow. There never was going to be a tomorrow. I watched as Gala's body landed in the snow. She didn't move even after what felt like several seconds had passed.

Finally, my feet which had seemed to be frozen to the ground where I stood started to move. I turned and ran back down the alleyway that I had used to get to the main street. I had entered the tree line once more and kept running deeper and deeper into the woods before I came to a stop and collapsed in the snow. I screamed and hunched over. I never wanted this. I never wanted any of this. They were dying. They were all dying.

"Return the favor! Protect the Wilshire!" No, I didn't want to be protected. I was supposed to be the one protecting this island.

"When the time comes, this island will protect you our precious little Jay." I pushed myself up from the ground.

"MAL!" The small boat waiting for me at the rocky shore was completely forgotten as I went back to searching for Mal.