WILD HEART • COMMANDER LEXA [1]

xv. HECATOMB

The blast had taken a toll on Erica's body. She felt every cell in her body at once, and then she felt nothing at all.

Ash fell onto her face like a winter snow, barely grazing her cheeks and eyelashes. After the ringing in her ears dissipated, Erica's ears were filled with cries and tears from the survivors. Apollo began to rise from the ground, leaving Erica and Kane lying there. It took him a minute, but despite the minor abrasions across his skin, Apollo was relatively fine. He nudged Erica's head and gripped a braid between his teeth, attempting to pull his partner off of the ground.

Her head was pounding, her vision finally clearing up. "Kane!" She exclaimed, sitting up quickly and shaking the unconscious man on the dirt. "Wake up, wake up!"

Marcus' eyes opened slowly and he sat up, using Erica's shoulder for support. "Erica, are you alright?" He questioned.

"I'm fine, can you stand?" Erica rose to her feet unsteadily, pulling Kane up with her.

They walked back to what had once been Tondc, and the screams of agony only grew in volume. She was angry. Angry with the Mountain Men who'd attacked her people, angry at Lexa for abandoning them, angry at herself for not being angry enough with the Commander.

They approached the village and Erica sobbed at the sight. There were horses galloping away from the scene, husbands and wives mourning their loved ones.

Erica rushed to Apollo's side, pulling a container of water from underneath his saddle. She crouched down next to two girls who were close by. They were about her age, and one cried while she held the other.

"I love you," She sobbed.

As Erica grew closer she could see that the brunette girl had died, and her blood stained the blonde curls of her lover. Two innocent teenagers, pulled into the world of war. Their love was destroyed before it could even blossom.

She crouched down next to the blonde, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Are you hurt?"

It was like looking into a mirror. The girl in front of her seemed like a mere reflection of herself, ocean eyes releasing a flood of tears. Erica ripped a scrap off of her own shirt, dousing it with the water from her container. She wiped the face of her almost-twin, cleaning the blood and dirt off of her pale skin.

"I'm sorry," She teared up, cupping the girl's face in her hands. "I'm so sorry."

The girl turned back to her lover and continued to sob, perhaps hoping that if she cried hard enough, her love would come back.

Erica backed away and stood beside Kane once again. Tears were pouring out of her eyes, the rest of her face stoic. She didn't cry, she didn't have the energy to cry, the tears just streamed out on their own.

Erica moved on, going to the next person to help, but a firm hand pulled her into the foliage. "You're alive," Lexa breathed, placing her hands on Erica's waist and swiftly removing them.

"Lexa," Erica sighed in relief. "How could we let this happen?" Her voice broke. "They're our people! We could have saved them, we should have saved them."

"Victory stands on the back of sacrifice," Lexa raised a hand, grazing the bloody scrape on Erica's cheek.

Erica might has well of slapped Lexa's hand away. "Please, don't." She was relieved, but she was still angry.