CHAPTER NINE
A Nightmare Lived
Realization hit Sarah hard. No one was alive, and if they stayed there, they would not be either. She dropped to her knees and broke down in sobs. Derek climbed out of the crater and sat next to her. Sarah buried her face into his shirt. She mumbled something incoherent in her sobbing.
"It's okay, we'll be fine." Derek comforted her.
Anastriana looked around, her pointed ears stood out, as if listening to some distant noise. She then looked down at Jacob's crouched form and spoke: "Jacob, did you find anything?"
Down in the crater, Jacob was down on his knees; he held the necklace in his cupped hands. Confusion was on his face. He heard Anastriana's question and he turned his head towards her. He did not know what to say, he felt angry, confused, and saddened. The necklace, Anastriana's necklace, in his mother's hand. When he plainly saw Anastriana give to the child in the forest... That child... There was something about him... These thoughts swirled in and out of Jacob's mind.
He stood up; the wind blew its breath through his shoulder-length, blonde hair. He ripped a long strip from his button shirt off and tied his hair back, his bang left to float in the wind.
He walked towards Anastriana, the necklace clutched tightly in his hand. He walked briskly, at one point he stumbled over something, and after righting himself, he furiously kicked it out of his way, yelling in fury.
He stumbled out of the crater, panting heavily. He immediately walked over to Anastriana and pulled her hand out and put the necklace into it.
"Explain." He demanded.
Anastriana looked at the necklace, her necklace. She could not think of anything to say, she could not explain. She unconsciously turned the necklace over, sure enough, there was her name engraved into the top triangle.
"It was in my mother's hand." Jacob said, forcefully, "I want an explanation."
Sarah pulled away from Derek and looked over to the two locked in confrontation.
"I... I don't know... I can't explain, I gave it to the infant in the forest, you ... you saw me. Didn't you?" Anastriana said in her defense.
Jacob did not say anything. He looked at her for a moment; he looked her up and down, as if measuring her up for a fight. He sighed, then pushed past her and stormed off, towards the large tower that rested in the center of New York.
"Jacob, where are you going?" Sarah rushed forward, Derek caught her.
"C'mon, lets go see if any of our relatives survived, let him be." Derek said to her. Sarah and Derek turned and walked away; Anastriana looked down at the necklace, then turned and followed Sarah and Derek.
* * *
Jacob walked along; he kicked stones and other debris out of his way. He came to a street that had hundreds upon hundreds of footprints through it. He looked along; they headed in the direction of the tower.
Jacob sighed. He did not know what to do. Here he was, home, but this was not the home he knew. He thought back to the forest, he remembered being attack by those...people. Then he remembered it. The book.
* * *
Sarah stumbled along the uneven ground, every now and then, she would trip, and Derek would attempt to catch her. Sometimes, he would succeed, sometimes he would fail.
They came upon a small cliff that opened into a large field; in it laid thousands upon thousands of bodies. Some were charred and burnt, arrows protruded through some. The smell of rotting and scorched flesh greeted their nostrils.
"Oh, God." Sarah said, she turned and vomited. She lurched over onto her knees. And crawled away from the sight. Derek could hear her vomit again.
Derek took a deep breath and slid down the edge into the field of death.
* * *
The book floated into Jacob's mind. He tried to figure out how it could have caused this. He gave up as he passed by the same pile of rubble again. He had been walking in circles. He took a left and continued walking. He came to a large crater, in it he saw bodies, but then he saw something moving around down there. He drew his broken sword and slid down into it.
He slowly moved toward the thing or person. His steps were soft and measured. He was tense in this moment. Whoever it was, they would answer to him.
He ran forward in rage, then stopped short.
"Derek?" Jacob asked. "What the hell?"
"Hey, find anything?" Derek asked Jacob, who lowered the broken sword.
"No.. Oh my god..." Jacob ran over to a pile of broken bodies.
"What is it?" Derek said. He stopped behind Jacob and looked. "NO!"
Derek dropped to his knees. His faced buried into his hands.
"Don't tell Sarah." Jacob commanded. In the pile lay Derek's parents, and under their bodies lay others, including Sarah's parents.
Jacob dropped down to his knees.
"Everything that's happened to us, I'd like to think it was for a reason, but, why this? Why? Why? Why?" As Jacob said this, he beat his hands upon the dead land. "AKROMA!!!" Jacob yelled. He closed his eyes and leaned over, instead of feeling the damp ground against his forehead, he felt cold stone. He looked up and found himself in front of an weathered old woman wearing a golden gown. Her face was unfamiliar, but her hair and eyes gave it away.
Jacob got up, everyone else was on the ground, Derek lay in a fetal position in Sarah's lap, Sarah quietly sobbed and Anastriana stood nearby, looking into the darkness filled with lightning and asteroids.
Jacob walked over to Akroma.
"What the hell is going on?" Jacob demanded.
"Please, calm yourself gatekeeper." Akroma urged.
"Don't tell me to calm down, I want to know what the hell is going on? We go home and everything is destroyed." Jacob's anger was evident in his voice.
Realization hit Sarah hard. No one was alive, and if they stayed there, they would not be either. She dropped to her knees and broke down in sobs. Derek climbed out of the crater and sat next to her. Sarah buried her face into his shirt. She mumbled something incoherent in her sobbing.
"It's okay, we'll be fine." Derek comforted her.
Anastriana looked around, her pointed ears stood out, as if listening to some distant noise. She then looked down at Jacob's crouched form and spoke: "Jacob, did you find anything?"
Down in the crater, Jacob was down on his knees; he held the necklace in his cupped hands. Confusion was on his face. He heard Anastriana's question and he turned his head towards her. He did not know what to say, he felt angry, confused, and saddened. The necklace, Anastriana's necklace, in his mother's hand. When he plainly saw Anastriana give to the child in the forest... That child... There was something about him... These thoughts swirled in and out of Jacob's mind.
He stood up; the wind blew its breath through his shoulder-length, blonde hair. He ripped a long strip from his button shirt off and tied his hair back, his bang left to float in the wind.
He walked towards Anastriana, the necklace clutched tightly in his hand. He walked briskly, at one point he stumbled over something, and after righting himself, he furiously kicked it out of his way, yelling in fury.
He stumbled out of the crater, panting heavily. He immediately walked over to Anastriana and pulled her hand out and put the necklace into it.
"Explain." He demanded.
Anastriana looked at the necklace, her necklace. She could not think of anything to say, she could not explain. She unconsciously turned the necklace over, sure enough, there was her name engraved into the top triangle.
"It was in my mother's hand." Jacob said, forcefully, "I want an explanation."
Sarah pulled away from Derek and looked over to the two locked in confrontation.
"I... I don't know... I can't explain, I gave it to the infant in the forest, you ... you saw me. Didn't you?" Anastriana said in her defense.
Jacob did not say anything. He looked at her for a moment; he looked her up and down, as if measuring her up for a fight. He sighed, then pushed past her and stormed off, towards the large tower that rested in the center of New York.
"Jacob, where are you going?" Sarah rushed forward, Derek caught her.
"C'mon, lets go see if any of our relatives survived, let him be." Derek said to her. Sarah and Derek turned and walked away; Anastriana looked down at the necklace, then turned and followed Sarah and Derek.
* * *
Jacob walked along; he kicked stones and other debris out of his way. He came to a street that had hundreds upon hundreds of footprints through it. He looked along; they headed in the direction of the tower.
Jacob sighed. He did not know what to do. Here he was, home, but this was not the home he knew. He thought back to the forest, he remembered being attack by those...people. Then he remembered it. The book.
* * *
Sarah stumbled along the uneven ground, every now and then, she would trip, and Derek would attempt to catch her. Sometimes, he would succeed, sometimes he would fail.
They came upon a small cliff that opened into a large field; in it laid thousands upon thousands of bodies. Some were charred and burnt, arrows protruded through some. The smell of rotting and scorched flesh greeted their nostrils.
"Oh, God." Sarah said, she turned and vomited. She lurched over onto her knees. And crawled away from the sight. Derek could hear her vomit again.
Derek took a deep breath and slid down the edge into the field of death.
* * *
The book floated into Jacob's mind. He tried to figure out how it could have caused this. He gave up as he passed by the same pile of rubble again. He had been walking in circles. He took a left and continued walking. He came to a large crater, in it he saw bodies, but then he saw something moving around down there. He drew his broken sword and slid down into it.
He slowly moved toward the thing or person. His steps were soft and measured. He was tense in this moment. Whoever it was, they would answer to him.
He ran forward in rage, then stopped short.
"Derek?" Jacob asked. "What the hell?"
"Hey, find anything?" Derek asked Jacob, who lowered the broken sword.
"No.. Oh my god..." Jacob ran over to a pile of broken bodies.
"What is it?" Derek said. He stopped behind Jacob and looked. "NO!"
Derek dropped to his knees. His faced buried into his hands.
"Don't tell Sarah." Jacob commanded. In the pile lay Derek's parents, and under their bodies lay others, including Sarah's parents.
Jacob dropped down to his knees.
"Everything that's happened to us, I'd like to think it was for a reason, but, why this? Why? Why? Why?" As Jacob said this, he beat his hands upon the dead land. "AKROMA!!!" Jacob yelled. He closed his eyes and leaned over, instead of feeling the damp ground against his forehead, he felt cold stone. He looked up and found himself in front of an weathered old woman wearing a golden gown. Her face was unfamiliar, but her hair and eyes gave it away.
Jacob got up, everyone else was on the ground, Derek lay in a fetal position in Sarah's lap, Sarah quietly sobbed and Anastriana stood nearby, looking into the darkness filled with lightning and asteroids.
Jacob walked over to Akroma.
"What the hell is going on?" Jacob demanded.
"Please, calm yourself gatekeeper." Akroma urged.
"Don't tell me to calm down, I want to know what the hell is going on? We go home and everything is destroyed." Jacob's anger was evident in his voice.