War [ Mirage snippet]
There was a cracking boom, and the soil shook under her feet. Belongings tumbled to the ground, smashing and scattering; the cube’s blue glow flickered out as it struck the floor, throwing the room into darkness. Screams and the sound of cracking wood resounded outside the tent. Myra put her pencil down and, journal tucked under her arm, went to the entrance of the tent to look outside. At the scene before her, she felt her heart turn to ice and drop from her chest, echoing through her empty insides.
In the streets of the camp, chaos reigned. Burning debris tumbled heavily down among the wailing throngs of people fleeing by, their terrified faces half-illuminated, shadows thrown into sharp relief against a brilliant yellow-orange glow. The air was thick with foul, black smoke, reflecting the orange light and reeking of burning flesh and charred canvas.
Rishda appeared from the crowd, her clothing torn, sleeves hanging from her wrists. Her face was scratched and sooty, brightness of her one blue eye luminous against the filth and smoke. Detachedly, surreally, Myra saw for the first time how old her sister had become, saw in detail the lines etched into her face, the hardness of her eyes.
“What’s happening?” But she knew, of course. Bombs. Attack. Over her sister’s shoulder, she could see the makeshift hospital burning, flames towering over them, its walls and ceiling littering the ground. And among the debris, there were-
“We need to go.”
Rishda was terse, icy, gripping Myra’s shoulder and starting to turn her away from the scene, but Myra saw the bodies scattered on the ground, some only partially together, some nearly unrecognizable. One made her heart begin to beat, throbbing so loudly that nothing else made it through. A young woman lay face down, her curly, shoulder-length blond hair matted with blood.
“Emily!” Myra’s voice tore at her throat, lost among the others crying out for their loved ones. She clutched at Rishda, too stunned to be devastated, feeling her own knees buckle as the other woman’s stayed straight and stiff. Her sister’s face was unmoved and brutal, the twisted line of her clenched jaw reminiscent of the murderous child she had once been. She hauled Myra to her feet. “It isn’t her. Come on.”
The woman’s body disappeared from sight as Myra was hauled into the crazed, rioting crowd. It stretched on endlessly; Myra could see no end to the maze of twisting bodies, bobbing heads. Between screaming faces she saw some sainmonet herding the crowd forward, gnashing teeth and flashing fans at those who lagged behind, making sure no one ran into side allies. Some of them carried injured Terrans on their backs. Rishda pulled her past swiftly, too swiftly to see whether Caval or Keyed was among them, and Myra’s stomach flipped at the thought that they might be lost for good.
Minou flashed by, closely followed by the other c’nujti, shoving their way back through the crowd to the burning buildings, and too late, Myra remembered that Ianji had been in the hospital, par injuries too great to stand. Something wet slid down her cheek at the thought that this was her future. Even if somehow, miraculously, they won, people, her friends, were going to die. The idea that they could win with no casualities had been chasing its tail, half-formed, in her mind and she had never stopped to consider it. She fell against Rishda, who had her back to Myra as she forced her way to the front of the crowd. For the first time, Myra found the mental wherewithall to wonder where all these people where going to flee to. This had been their last refuge.
“Where are we going?” She shouted in Rishda’s ear. Rishda turned her head halfway to look at her just as the fire behind the flared. Myra recoiled. Her half-sister’s expression was terrifying; her teeth bared over a taut jaw, eyes white and wild and sharp in her dark, bloody face. Myra saw again for an instant the vicious animal of Rishda’s youth resurfaced, before the older woman’s eyes dulled, narrowing, her lips closing and thinning into a grim line. “To war,” she said.
~~~~~
Just a quick little spoiler. I know it’s morbid, sorry.
