A Night in New Haven

Genesis

It was a confirmed hit. Two more fuelrod rounds struck the back of the human ship as it descended towards the ground. Fire erupted from the rear as the tail of the ship crumbled to pieces. Over a mile it fell before crashing into a grassy hillside. The two Banshees, much like hungry buzzards, circled the fallen shuttle from high above.

"Mission complete brother," said Von'taree. "Shall we return to the Atonement?"

Lortuh'ree felt uneasy, as if something was evading him. He growled as a strafing round was unleashed from his Banshee's turrets. The scorching plasma penetrated through the vessel's cockpit with ease as smoke began to fill the air. Pursuing after human escape crafts was never a difficult task for the Covenant military. Many Sangheili believe that only those who were unfit for combat were left to carry out such insignificant assignments.

Lortuh'ree remained silent as he accelerated his Banshee towards the Covenant cruiser looming in the sky. Von'taree followed close behind his wingman. Once the Banshees were secured in the landing bay, the Atonement activated its boosters. Slowly the cruiser climbed above the evening clouds and into orbit with the rest of the fleet.

The sun was sinking as the sky turned from a shade of orange to purple. Only the sound of the roaring fire eating away the fallen vessel could be heard. Ashes were carried hundreds of feet into the air by the wind. Not a single trace of life could be seen or heard within miles of the crash site. It was as if all of New Haven had become silent and death was all that remained on the planet. A quiet rumble of thunder broke the silence as sheets of rain began to fall to the ground. Another quake of thunder echoed across the fields. A few drops of water leaked in through the cracked roof of the ship and fell on Eve's forehead. After several long minutes, she had finally awoken from the crash.

Eve could barely open her eyes as the smoke hovered through the aisle. The last thing she recalled was her Auntie Liz praying. The people on the plane were screaming too loud for her to hear anything. She was still tightly holding on to her stuffed bear with both arms.

Stretching out one of her hands, Eve pulled on the sleeve of her aunt. She didn't move… Eve pulled again on the sleeve only to have Auntie Liz's head droop down towards the floor. Eve then turned to her right as she stared at her older cousin Victor. He wasn't moving…neither was Uncle Jim. All three were silent as was everybody else on board.

After a few seconds of struggling with the seatbelt straps, Eve freed herself from the chair. The orange backpack that her aunt had prepared was still below her feet. Eve held on to her toy in one hand and the pack in the other. Squeezing by Auntie Liz's legs, Eve secured her backpack around her shoulders and got on her hands and knees. She cautiously crawled down the aisle towards the front of the plane. Eve remembered being taught at school that she should stay below the smoke in a room during a fire. For a seven year old, Eve was very smart. She was always a good student and wanted to make her parents proud.

The shuttle was relatively small compared to others in the UNSC. Capable of fitting less than fifty people, it quickly filled up during the evacuation of New Haven. This particular vessel was the last to depart before the Covenant destroyed the airport but all twelve of the ships used were intercepted by Banshees and Covenant cruisers. Not a single one made it to safety.

The heat coming from the fire in the cockpit was almost unbearable. Eve crawled her way to the emergency hatch and noticed the button next to the door. She tried her best to read the words below the button but gave up. All Eve could understand was "EXIT" and "ONLY" but the other word was too complicated. The smoke was burning her eyes and she couldn't take it any longer. Lifting up her hand, Eve pressed the bright, red button. The emergency hatch made a hissing noise followed by a loud crash as it made contact with the ground. Eve climbed slowly down each step until she was off the plane completely.

After taking a deep breath of fresh air, Eve looked at her surroundings. The rain had transformed into a light sprinkle as the storm drifted towards the east. Lightning could still be seen illuminating the clouds followed by a distant rumble. Looking to her right, Eve spotted a group of trees that were nearby the crash site. With her backpack and stuffed bear, Eve ran until she was underneath the cover.

Unable to find a dry spot to rest on, Eve removed her backpack and placed it by the trunk of a thick oak. She then sat down on the wet grass and laid her back against the tree. A cold breeze tossed her long, blond hair in the wind. Water dripped down the front of her hair onto her pale cheeks. Eve's favorite coat was soaking wet along with all of her other clothes. Shivering from the cold, she pulled her legs towards her body and wrapped her arms around them to keep warm. Eve placed her teddy bear between her legs and stomach to keep him warm as well.

Resting her forehead on her knees, Eve began to doze off. She struggled to stay awake but each time she would reopen her eyes, they would become heavier and heavier.

"I think this is a bad dream Teddy," whispered Eve softly to her stuffed bear. With that, Eve closed her eyes and entered into a deep sleep.

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Eve dreamt of when her father use to live at home; before he had to leave on his long trip. Each night, her father would lie in bed with her telling stories of faraway worlds and all the adventures that he goes on.

"There are even cities that float among the stars!" exclaimed the father. Eve was always fascinated with the different worlds and people that he would speak of. With a smile on her face and eyes wide open, she would listen keenly as her imagination pictured every word her father spoke.

"And someday Eve," said the father "I will take you with me. Any place your heart desires, we shall see together. Now close your eyes my love, it is time for rest."

"Not until I get a goodnight kiss," said the mother. She walked into the room and sat down on the bed with her husband and daughter. Eve stood up in her bed and embraced her mother and father with her arms. Both of the parents kissed her on the cheek. Her father then picked her up and held her tightly.

"Eve, I love you more than anything else in the world," said her father. "I am so proud that you are my daughter." Eve looked up at her father and saw tears gathering in his eyes. Her mother was weeping as well.

"Daddy is going on a long adventure tomorrow but I promise I will come home as soon as I can," said the father. "And when I return, we can go to the playground as much as you want. We could even have a picnic with Auntie Liz's family!"

Eve's mother wasn't looking at either of them anymore. She just cried quietly to herself as she stared out the bedroom window.

The father then pulled a box with pink wrapping paper out from under the bed. "This is an early birthday present for my favorite girl," said the father as he wiped his tears with his hand.

Eve peeled off the wrapping paper and placed the ribbons on her bed sheets. She then lifted the lid and handed it to her father. Reaching her arms inside the box, Eve pulled out a stuffed teddy bear. Her eyes brightened as she squeezed the toy bear tightly against her.

Her father laughed quietly to himself. "I knew you would love it." Lifting the sheets, he started to tuck Eve into bed alongside her new friend.

"I think I am going to call him Teddy!" Eve said excitedly.

"And I think that is a perfect name," said the father. "Now, my Eve, it is time for you to sleep."

Eve yawned as she rested her head on the pillow. Her mother had left the room and walked into the hallway where she waited for her husband.

"Eve, though you might not see me for a long time, know that I will always be with you," whispered the father. "Know that whenever you are thinking of me, I am thinking of you." He cupped his hand over the head of Eve and stroked her hair until she was asleep. "I love you Eve and I will always be with you."

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Waking up from a nightmare is entirely different than waking up in a one. It had been over an hour since Eve had fallen asleep. The sun had almost descended completely behind the mountain horizon as hundreds of bright stars began to appear overhead. The two crescent moons climbed slowly into the night sky. A cool breeze would occasionally stir as the endless fields of grass swayed back and forth. The light from the moons illuminated the plains surrounding the crash site.

Eve hadn't moved since she first sat down on the ground. Night had come and the air had only grown colder. The fire from the vessel was dying down and was now a faint glow. Eve lifted her head only to witness that she was still in the same depressing situation from before. This was her reality and nothing could save her from it.

Her green eyes started to swell with tears as she began to cry. They streamed down her face as she pulled her teddy bear close. Eve was afraid, alone, and lost with no way of getting home. Standing to her feet, she walked out from under the trees. Teddy was locked in her arms as she made her way up a hill that was nearby. After a minute of walking, Eve made it to the top of the overlook. Below her, endless fields of grass stretched out as far as the eye could see as the last glimmer of the afternoon sky faded in the distance. Terror began to overtake Eve. She could no longer hold in all the pain that was stirring inside her.

"Daddy!" cried Eve desperately. "I need you! You said you would come home Daddy! You said you would always be here for me!" Eve fell to her knees as she rubbed tears from her eyes. "You promised…" A strong gust of wind passed by Eve. The lump in her throat was becoming too large for her to speak.

"I miss you…," she said softly.

Her mind began to wander. With only old memories to comfort her, Eve thought back to the time when she and her mother were both waiting for the father's return. Along with the teddy bear, Eve's father gave her a calendar so that she could mark off the days until he came back home. "Mommy, I want to see! How many more days are left?" Eve climbed up on her chair so she could see the calendar lying on the kitchen table. "Sweetie, you have already asked several times today," said the mother as she lifted another wet plate from the sink to her drying towel. "It will be at 8 months until your father is back." Despite being asked the same question over and over, Eve's mother always replied with kindness. She was a very patient and loving mother after all. Eve looked down flipped the pages forward to the date of her father's arrival. Silently, she gazed at the calendar with a longing glance. Her mother laid down her towel on the counter as she walked up behind Eve's chair. "It may seem like a long time," said her mother as she embraced Eve in a hug. "But he will be back before you know it."

Days turned into weeks as weeks turned into months. Eventually, only three days remained before the father would return home. Eve was excited with anticipation and tried her best to keep busy so that time would go by quickly. While playing in the front yard in her sandbox, Eve noticed a black car pulling up to her house. Slowly, it parked on the side of the road as two elderly men climbed out of the vehicle. Walking side by side, they made their way to the front of the house. Both were dressed alike and were decorated with medals. Neither of them acknowledged Eve as they passed by her. She turned her head and saw one of the men knock on the door. Eve's mother opened but as soon as she saw the officers, she fell directly on the ground and began to weep heavily. Eve never discovered what the men told her mother but she was never the same after that day. All she was told was that her father was delayed and wouldn't be coming home for a very long time.

A few months after that day, Eve's mother became very ill. She and her mother made many trips to the hospital where they would spend hours diagnosing the ailment. A tumor had spawned in the brain of the mother and was spreading. Eve did not understand what this meant. Her mother's condition only grew worse as her organs started to fail. Eve noticed how her mother had changed. She no longer took her to school or went on walks to the park. All her mother would do is rest in bed all day with odd machines attached to her.

Months fell off the calendar until it had been nearly two years since her father had left. The mother's tumor had completely spread throughout her body. Auntie Liz would often visit the house and would take care of Eve and her mother. This became the daily routine until the dreaded day of the evacuation.

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"Don't worry about me, my love," said the mother quietly. "Auntie Liz has your favorite backpack ready for you. Eve, you must be brave like Daddy and go with her."

"No Mommy, I don't want to leave!" cried Eve as she held on to the arm of her mother. "Get up! You can come with us. Please Mommy, we can go on the plane together!" Eve looked at her mother trying her best to hold back the tears.

"I am sorry Eve but that cannot happen," said the mother with a pale look on her face. "Oh, you have grown up so fast. I love you with all my heart Eve. Never forget that." The mother then looked at Auntie Liz. "Please take care of her."

Eve gave her mother a final hug. Auntie Liz then carried her out to the car where Uncle Jim and Victor were waiting. Eve looked out the car window as she watched her house fade away in the distance. Only the sound of sirens could be heard echoing across the land.

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Eve lifted her head as she stared at the two moons hanging in the sky. Though lost and afraid, she felt comforted by the sight of the paired crescents shining down on her. Against her will, Eve stood up and strapped on her backpack. She knew that nobody was going to come and rescue her. She was alone and now must go on her own adventure. Frighten but resolute, Eve was determined to find her mother that was left behind.

"Mommy is still in her room," said Eve. "And we need to go back to get her." With the storm gone, Eve was finally able get a good glimpse of her surroundings. A faint light glimmered from the distant mountains towards the west. As the only light in view, Eve lifted up her stuffed animal and dusted some dirt off her leggings.

"Come on Teddy," said Eve with all the courage she could summon. "We're going home."