Good and Evil
Sirens wailed faintly in the distance.
This can't be happening. This isn't happening…
Connie Maheswaran shut her eyes tightly, quivering as she sat silently against the wall to her bedroom. With a deep breath, she sat up straight and listened again for the sounds of struggle. A single agonized cry pierced the cacophony outside her shattered bedroom window, exacerbating the churning sensation in her stomach.
"Even the butterflies in my stomach want to get out of here…" she mused dryly. Tightening her grip on the neck of her splintered violin, the closest thing to a bludgeon she was able to find, she rose to her feet and slowly moved to the entrance to her bedroom door. In a single daring motion, she jumped out into the hallway, brandishing her broken instrument. There were no signs of intruders, so she hastily tiptoed through the hall and down the stairs. Reaching the first floor of her ominously quiet abode, Connie brought the bout of her violin close to her head and carefully walked to the center of the room. The young girl surveyed her desolate surroundings.
The lights in the ruined house had all gone out hours ago, at the beginning of the attack. The golden radiance of the midday sun filtered through the window, bathing the wall in a haunting glow. Shattered portraits, broken décor, and crushed furniture were strewn around the house. A small noise caused Connie to whirl about, but she found the room deserted. Now thoroughly spooked, the brave child shifted her grip on the violin and walked into the kitchen.
The scene was similar to that of the living room. Cabinet doors and various kitchen implements were scattered about, barely visible in the murk. Taking a step forward, Connie's foot caught on an unseen obstacle, causing her to tumble to the ground. Craning her neck, she turned to find her mother sprawled across the kitchen floor. A kitchen knife lay a short distance from the doctor's outstretched arm, gleaming like her emotionless eyes as they remained fixed on the ceiling.
"Mom?" Connie whispered. Prinyanka Maheswaran was unresponsive.
"Mom?" the worried girl tried again. She knelt down and nudged her mother's shoulder. "Mom!" Still no response.
"Mom, please wake up!" she cried desperately, her caution all but forgotten. "We need to leave now! It's not safe here! Please get up! Please!" The truth finally sank in, and the panicked girl's pleas rapidly devolved to quiet sobbing.
"This just…" Connie choked out as tears blurred her vision. "I'm so…sorry mom. I should have been…I could have saved you. I could have stopped this…"
Another ominous noise interrupted the mourning girl's tragic train of thought. Connie quickly wiped her eyes, reached over, and picked up the kitchen knife. Standing, she brandished her new armament defensively and steeled her resolve. A loud thud emanated from the living room, followed by the sound of a vase breaking. The fearful girl considered her situation as the grim truth resonated in her mind.
There's only one way to get out of here…
Connie slowly walked to the entrance to the living room and pressed her back against the wall. She took one final look at her mom's prone form. Every fiber of her being screamed for her to stay with her mother's body, but she denied the urge. Staying would mean the same fate.
"I'll miss you, mom. I…sob…love you."
With a shuddering breath, the brave girl jumped out from behind the wall, only to be caught off-guard by a massive dark form surging towards her. The mysterious object barreled into her, slamming her into the remnants of the bookshelf. She looked up to find a massive, mangled gem mutant in front of her, its elongated arms flailing madly. The creature let out a series of stuttering screeches before charging at its newfound victim. Connie managed to sidestep the enraged creature, sending it crashing into the wall. With a deft strike, she severed one of the gem's hands with her knife, causing it to cry out in pain. The mutant turned, let out a scream, and charged its prey once more. The second attack was much more erratic, and Connie easily dodged. The gem barreled through the wall, causing the building to shake violently. A chunk of the ceiling fell onto the dazed creature, stirring up a cloud of dust and rubble. Coughing violently, Connie stumbled to the front door and out of her destroyed home.
The scene outside was no less desolate. The houses on the street had been reduced to piles of rubble. Small fires burned among the ruins, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the sky. From her vantage point, Connie could still see a gem ship flying overhead, seemingly uninterested in the few remaining survivors on the surface. A roar tore her attention away from the alien vessel. She spotted another gem mutant in the distance, and quickly ran to hide in a destroyed house. Confident that she hadn't been spotted, the young girl stopped to gather her wits.
The invasion had been swift and unexpected. Several hours ago, spaceships had appeared in the sky, their intentions unknown. Connie had been talking to Greg Universe in Beach City at the time. Remembering the recent attack on the seaside town, she had rushed to reach her house as quickly as possible. She had arrived just minutes before the first attack…
The roar came again, this time louder. Connie carefully peeked out from behind a broken wall. The mutant had stopped in the middle of the road and was looking around, its lone massive eye surveying the wreckage for signs of life. The creature let out a loud shout and pounded its unidentifiable appendage against the pavement, sending asphalt flying in all directions. Connie ducked behind the wall, trying desperately to remain as quiet as possible. The sound in the background seemed to fade away, replaced by the constant thumping of her beating heart. Her attention held by the creature, the terrified child accidentally stepped on a piece of rubble, and a crack echoed through the silence. The hulking mutant stopped, let out another roar, and began to advance towards the concealed girl. Her breath grew increasingly shallow as the monster slowly advanced towards her hiding spot.
"Please don't find me, please don't find me, please don't find me…" was the only though that ran through Connie's mind as the gem ran it's club-like appendage across the wall concealing her. She momentarily considered launching a surprise attack, but buried the though almost immediately. The monster seemed to be more than a match for her; even a slight misstep could be fatal.
Without warning, the mutant let out a bellowing growl and pounded the wall violently. The blow made Connie's shoulders tense, and a surprised gasp escaped her. She stumbled forward and about-faced, readying herself mentally for the creature's attack. However, the monster continued to mindlessly batter the rubble as it spouted incomprehensible noises. Eventually it seemed to lose interest in the ruins, and slowly trudged away. Connie remained frozen for several minutes, listening as the sounds of the titanic mutant faded into the distance. Finally its thundering footsteps fell away, and the steady rhythm of her breathing returned.
"That was close," she expressed as she tentatively stood and tiptoed through the debris. The wind picked up as she emerged out on the street, howling through the ruined houses like a mourning specter. Connie surveyed the bleak scene for any signs of gem creatures. Nothing moved but a small dust devil and several flickering fires.
"If only Steven was here." she lamented forlornly. "He would be able to fix this…"
But he's dead now.
Guilt gripped the young girl as dismal thoughts roiled in her mind. Connie once again struggled to decide which was worse: that fact that Steven had been killed, or that she was personally responsible for his death. She had agonized over the events of the past week. How she had been easily captured by the gem assassin. How Steven had been lured into a trap while trying to save her. How he had nearly escaped with her, only to be brutally recaptured. Connie's final memories of the optimistic half-gem still haunted her. The look of unfathomable pain on his face as he was thrown off Lion's back. The mortified girl took some meager consolation in the fact that she hadn't watched his torturous demise…
Connie's mind snapped back to reality, and she found herself standing in the middle of the street, her emotions streaming down her face. Her survival instincts took over, and she immediately took a fighting stance. She found no indication of any other creatures, but she knew it wouldn't be safe for long.
"I can't stay here," she explained to no one in particular. The wind whistled its affirmation, gently whipping up the young girl's hair. Silently, Connie steeled her grip on the makeshift weaponry in her hands, rugged dedication coursing through her being. With measured steps, she began her journey into the remnants of a world she once knew.