Liar Marionette
These Far-Fetched Wonders
Ethereal kisses of fragile moonlight graced the cracked layers of weathered gravel, the lethargic hazes of dust dancing delicately along the waning surfaces of enchanting lunar lustre as the hushed night curtained the December dewdrops that laced over the faces of all within its glistening touch. The haunting tresses of skeletal trees left all sounds unsaid and choked away, for it had shed its chestnut-colored leaves - to give way to the chills of wintry days - and tucked away the earthy floors under a blanket of nature's withering feathers. A silent breeze ushered away the sentimental wisps of dust that suffocated the air, its glacial breath hanging and freezing time itself remorselessly.
Remnants of brutal bouts long concluded eras heretofore oxidized the moth-eaten mountains, abandoned tendrils of hazardous vines and crooked grooves varnishing the decrepit and disfigured building that no longer offered the succor it once did, long ago, to passing vagabonds warding off the biting cold.
A shadow, scrawny and short - a child, perhaps. It flickered and bounded away in one fleeting moment, taking off where the wind carried it. Bathed in pillars of ailing light, it continued forward, pushed forward by the glorious chance for survival. The silhouette divided, revealing two children trailing down the lengths of the hollow remains of a dying establishment. Harsh footfalls ripped apart the putrid fissures of muted timbres sleeping in the midst of the deathly ambience, and echoed for no longer than a heartbeat before reducing to feeble poundings of dainty feet smiting against ancient concrete.
The winds howled fitfully in a chain of shrill whistles and unholy symphonies that halted the young stragglers for little more than a minuscule second, before they marched once again in their restless haste. Bellowing and weeping gales lashed out, its cries deafening in their deafened ears. And then nothing. Only hysterical gasps and pants shattered the unsettling stillness.
They ran, speeding along with the terror held close to their hearts and flashing through their jaded eyes. They fought, battling against the gravity of the wind in their aimless labor. They wondered, brooding on their guilt and worries and pleaded to know if they made the right decision - to their chagrin, no voice answered their qualms, no sound quelled their nightmarish reveries.
Run, he told them. And so they did when they saw the dark plea in his tearful eyes, literally beseeching them. They ran, with their brains warped by the dread and the fright. They ran, with their dark silhouettes chasing after them blindly, until they slowed to a stop.
There she stood, a young girl with tousled hair and tattered rags hanging off her small shoulders, gulping down the precious air that bared its fangs and tore at her little lungs with frost-coated canines. It hurt, but she must breathe. She was fatigued, exhausted, as she collapsed against a towering piece of rubble and gave no care to the smarting coldness of her back against the frigid stone. Cherry-kissed fingers felt the return of meager warmth as they were rubbed and roughly pressed together, a sigh of tepid air hovering over it. Naked toes attempted to curl inwards, helplessly numb, stiff and battered. Her limbs are lined with countless of goosebumps and her body shook feverishly as she huddled herself for treasured heat. Ambivalently, she peered over her shoulder with eyes rimmed by an unearthly sliver of repugnance.
From far in the distance, roaring sparks of a slowly pacifying battle still stirred soundlessly, swallowing whole the path of misted, maze-like buildings within a veil of noxious smoke and veins of dying embers. Tufts of sooty gas hung ominously over the tall kingdom, and a parade of soldiers sifted themselves free from the gun-powdered fog in a meticulous, stern fashion.
Her head flew from side to side, eyelids threaded tightly shut. Fine sheets of feathery white cotton clouds escaped from their mouths as they fell into a trance of repose, the world a swirling torrent of dizzy spells.
"We... we should be... safe... here..." She wheezed, the drumming of pain plaguing every inch of her body.
Her companion - a young boy still trapped in his naive years, mimicked her actions, his blood-streaked knees of skin and bone buckling unsteadily as he slumped down, exhaled roughly and nestled himself next to the girl. An ugly grimace clawed its way to his sickly peach lips, a pale shade of blue trickling along the edges dangerously. He hugged his knees and buried his head into his folded arms. Bruises and shallow cuts marred his arms and legs that smarted against the winter bites, his hands raw and drowned in the curdling color of crimson.
Controlling the quaking shakes of his body, he mangled his thoughts together and weaved them around awkwardly in his mind, still processing everything futilely as they replayed relentlessly through the theater of his psyche. He sobbed.
"I... I miss... big sis..." His voice was broken and hoarse as he spoke dryly, traces of salty dew running tracks down his cheeks and latching onto his lashes. He grew silent, his head shaking violently. From her peripheral view, she watched the denial of his reality closely with shoulders drooping, "...I'm scared... I c-can't go... on..."
A sigh.
The girl contemplated leaving him behind in her frustration, but quickly discarded the inhumane thought faster than her spindly legs could carry her. Frankly, she wanted to cry as well - to just roll up into a ball and bawl her eyes out; if only he (the brat) would just stop with his pleads to see this 'sister' of his, then maybe she would feel more up to shedding some tears. However, she knew he deserved better in his state of vulnerability, but her equanimity was slowly running thin and the urgency to just scoot away to get some 'personal space' was overwhelming. Scolding herself with a grunt and strangling back her impatience, she wound an arm awkwardly round his shaken shoulders to comfort him just like her mother once did, a frown tinting her eyebrows. "It's okay," She lifted up her free hand, quivering and rigid against the unforgiving frostbites, and worked to inscribe an ancient language in glowing, foreign letters hovering in midair with an outstretched finger, "We'll make it... outta this..."
Her jaws snapped, the words ringing doubtful in both their ears. It was a despairing shard of false hope, but still they clung to it. The girl promptly regretted the unsealed promise she made, her face draining of all its remaining colors. At least the boy had stopped whimpering, but it still worried her. She too was spiraling into a torpid state, unaware of just how quickly the cogency of her mind was being abraded. The boy veered his head round and burned his indolent gaze into her profile, the unadulterated facade of a pensive glint cresting over his eyes as he leaned closer to the smaller girl. She smiled; an empty expression that he did not spot - maybe physical contact wasn't so bad after all, she mused. Blowing away fluttery particles of magic from her finger, the air crackled and popped from her palm as she traced the final letters to her spell triumphantly, albeit arduously, and a flame erupted to life in a masterful series of stuttering lemon-saturated blazes at the base, its mane of carmine spluttering weakly and beating wildly against the aberrant wind. The two watched the small kindling hearth playing across her hand exuberantly, the sentimental glow of a sunset painted from the hearty colors of amber and scarlet reflected in their curious eyes.
"It's..." The boy stretched out his hands systematically, and embraced the sensation of heat licking hungrily against the throbbing pain running through his fingers tirelessly. A sigh left his lips, and for the first time in his youth, he felt grateful - content with the fact that he was still alive, "It's pretty..."
The embers sparked and stretched out its paws, drawing forth a greater energy from its surroundings.
"Only for a little while," She willed the hissing flames to swell and flicker radiantly, her voice shuddering, "This should... keep us alive... just a bit longer."
From the depths of their beating hearts to the senseless tips of their toes and frosty cheeks, they felt the merciless touch of forlorn feelings splinter and melt under the tender warmth of one small bonfire that they held onto desperately - shielding it timidly each time from the screaming gales whipping at their frail nudity - save for the threadbare cloth wrapped around their tiny torsos - and cradling it closer should the passionate flame decline and shrink. It was just so precious. With eyes drifting to a shut, the boy began to nod to a soundless rhythm, lulled by the words of the fire and the presence of life so close yet so far. "Yeah..." He hummed, rocking back and forth methodically, "I... don't feel like dying just yet..."
Tightly clenched lips relaxed when a gentle weight nestled onto her shoulder and bumped lightly against her head. She shifted uncomfortably, nudging the boy to keep him awake while bringing the torch of life closer towards their dust-covered frames. An eyebrow arched upwards. How strange... Her flames never smelt of anything. Drawing in a vague sniff, the heavy scent of charred earth and charcoal wafted through her nose nostalgically, straight past the mucus gathered in her nose. Her heart skipped a beat, two beats.
...Another fire source?
Drinking in the delicious waves of warmth now running along her spine, she jolted on the spot and rolled her head back against the rough boulder as she crushed their lifeline tightly in her fist and sent a hand flying to her companion's shoulder. Her other hand cupped an ear, the icicle touch left unnoticed.
Tip. Tap. Tip. Tap.
A wisp of orange light floated within the darkness. Untangling words from her throat, she called to the boy.
"Wake up, someone's coming," Frantically shaking his shoulder, the girl scrambled to her feet and yanked at the arm of the shaken boy, "You can still run, right? Come on...!" Without waiting for an answer, she dragged him along with the blisters groaning from the dried surfaces of their heels. She knew they had to make it out of this alive - no simple injury would stop her in her hurried tracks.
Panicked and wide-awake, the boy tailed after her as the tight grip around his wrist crumbled away, "W-what should we do...?" He inclined his head backwards, his teeth gnashing together, and, to his horror, heard the steady gallops of hooves and stony footfalls of armored boots falling in sync - a terrifying tune to their ears, "Soldiers? Why are they here already?!"
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.
"Big sis... what would you do at a time like this...?"
"Shut up running your mouth, you moron...!" She hissed in a distraught tone, quickly finding her legs growing incredulously numb as she forced them forward. For the love of... Move... MOVE! They'll catch up to you any second now. Just a little more...! The sounds were getting closer.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
They must get away. Run. They have to run.
Feeling her heart practically smashing against her ribs, the girl gave an alarming yelp as she felt her foot lock itself onto a stray piece of rubble and twist the ankle to an impossible angle. Pain lanced through her leg as she teetered unstably and hopped along, unable to find the balance of her body. Her fingers splayed out, wishing to swipe onto something - something to save her.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
And then she sagged to her knees, eyes dulling and glazing over. Her breath quickened, her heart throbbed and pumped the adrenaline through her limbs, and incomplete thoughts washed over her. Was this...
Fear?
So, this was it, she thought. This is the end. A couple of kids against a bunch battle-hardened soldiers? Pah! Preposterous.
But she didn't want to give up. A life so unfulfilled, with so many things left undone. A life so evanescent, still but a child with wasted potential.
THUD! THUD!
"B-big s- Ack!"
A sharp, electric pulse ran through the base of her neck. The darkness closed in, swallowing her up in a chasm of onyx patterns. Within the swimming shadows, she spotted the stunning shades of fiery maroon, smiling down at her. Was it mocking her?
"Take care of my stupid brother for me..."