𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 (Sleepy Bois Inc) /Discontinued/

-12-

Fundy
--

I awoke to the same smell every morning, and frankly, it never grew old; The smell of fresh-baked bread and cooked cod. It filled my nostrils as I climbed out of the cramped bunk I called a sleeping place and grogily stumbled down the stairs to the kitchen on the first floor.

"Good morning, Fundy!" My best friend, Nikki, called from the kitchen as I entered the space.

I flashed her a friendly smile back, adjusting the collar of my shirt and running a hand through my rough, ginger-blonde hair.

"Mornin', Nikki,"

I watched as she gracefully pulled two loaves of her amazing homemade white bread out of the oven. Her medium-lengthed brown hair fell down over her eyes, and she pushed the loose strands back behind her ear with a mitted hand.

"It smells lovely," I told her, grabbing a few plates out of the cupboard. Thanks to our wheat farm that yielded plenty of bundles per year, it wasn't common we got too hungry. There was also a stream not too far from our cottage, a perfect place to fish on nice evenings.

Nikki gave me one of her pure smiles, showing a few of her pearly white teeth. "Do you want to try some?" She asked. The German accent she had was sprinkled over her soft words as she spoke, making her sound even more innocent than normal.

I must have looked famished, because she grabbed a plate out of my extended hand and quickly cut the loaves into parts. Placing a warm piece of the bread onto the plate, she shoved it back at me. "I think I've finally made the perfect recipe," She grinned, watching my face as I bit into the soft grain. "How is it?"

I wanted to scream to the world that it was amazing, but afraid of coming across as too eager, I replied to her question with a simple, "It's pretty good". Nikki saw right through my downplayed reaction, scoffing at my claim. "Wh-at?" I retorted, my mouth already full with another bite of the bread.

Rolling her eyes playfully, Nikki made her way out of the door for her morning walk in the early breeze.

Life was quite simple and repetitive here, but it was nice being away from all the conflict across the river. I almost constantly had to reassure Nikki that those crazy people across it would do no harm to us- as we were tucked away nicely out of the way- but the shouts and smoke of battle didn't help me convince her.

Unlike the beasts on the other side, we were sensible and well-fed all the time, not having to think about what would happen if our camps were ransacked for the little supplies we had. No. Life here was nice and easy, and that's how I hoped it would stay.

I ran back up the stairs to the shared room to grab a coat- the mornings were always a little chilly- and I quickly raced out the door to follow Nikki. I pumped my legs hard, catching up with her slow pace in no time at all.

She acknowledged my presence with a delicate wave, not saying anything however, as she loved to enjoy the silence and nature in peace. It was always something we had in common, and after we ran away from our homeland, it was clear the only place we'd both agree on to live in was the woods.

-~-

The walks we took were always pretty long, stretching for one, two, maybe even two-and-a-half hours at a time, but it wasn't like we had anywhere to be, so why rush?

Today brought new horrors, however.

On our way back from the walk through the trees, I noticed a plume of ominous, dark-gray smoke rising high above the treetops. I didn't think much of the smoke until me and Nikki entered our clearing.

She let out a small gasp, followed by her shaky voice muttering, "F-Fundy?"

I let my mouth drop open as my heart stopped beating.

Our house- It was burning.

"NO!" Nikki shouted, trying to run forward into the blaze. I grabbed her by the frail, pale wrist and held her back. The dark hair atop her head flowed in the breeze, as our whole world was light up in an orange glow.

I had to think fast, I needed to do anything I could to keep her from running into that mess. "Nikki, stay calm-" I reasoned with her. "We can't do anything about this! It'll be like walking into and early grave if you try to get in there!"

She didn't listen, however, breaking away from my grasp and running forward. My heart sank. "NIKKI!"

I ran after her, of course, I wouldn't let go of my friend that easily.

The flames got hotter as we got closer, and it felt as if every hair on my body was sizzling. The air reeked of gasoline and smoke, causing a coughing fit to erupt from my chest as I tried my best to follow Nikki as she ran through our garden. Trampling crops was the least of my worries at that moment, so many of the crops we spent so long caring for were crushed beneath our feet.

Nikki seemed to had lost all sense of what was crazy or not, because as soon as she got to the front door, she slammed it open with her shoulder. Due to the heat, weakness from the flames,  and already loose bolts on the door, it got flung completely off of its hinges. Landing with an resounding bang, it sent sparks and cinders flying into the already polluted air. Nikki erupted in a fit of coughing just as I had, the smoke finally reaching the sensitive parts of her lungs.

"Where is it?" She looked around with a wild look in her eyes. Where is what? What is she talking about- The fire extinguisher.

"NIKKI! You're INSANE if you think-" Another coughing spasm sent me almost toppling over from pain and weakness. "That little thing is gonna stop THIS!" She looked back at me, then at her hands, then her feet.

A wave a grief and longing stabbed into my chest as I watched those same emotions being expressed by the look on her face. "I-" The walls seemed to be caving inward, but that was crazy, I told myself. "I'm so sorry, Fundy-" I watched as tear after tear fell down her chin.

I would've responded if it wasn't for the lump in my throat, keeping every noise I tried to make tucked deep inside of me.

Looking at the place I currently stood really put things into perspective- Nikki and I, standing in a burning building, talking as if nothing was wrong.

A loose flame threatened to ignite my pants, and I shook it away while adressing Nikki. "We have to get out of here," I muttered hurridely, survery the area. As she glaced around what was left of the living room one more time with me, a profound sadness filled her eyes. All of the memories, the lovely times we spent here- It was all about the crumble. "Come on!" I shouted over the crackles and pops that filled the structure.

I made a dash for the door frame, Nikki practically on my heels. I could almost taste the fresh, outside air as we got closer. A cough got caught in my throat, and I kneeled over, eventually hacking up what was left of my breakfast as I shooed Nikki ahead.

As soon as she got outside, I saw her turn to look at me. My ears were pounding, the world spinning beneath my feet, so I only saw her mouth move as she shouted a warning at me.

A loud creaking from above me brought my sense of hearing back, and a stabbing pain shot through my head. "FUNDY WATCH OUT-" Nikki yelled, causing me to look up at the roof curiously.

Then my whole world came crashing down upon me, quite literally.