Breathe Deep
This is a short story that appears on Shattered Enigma. I said a while ago I would post everything but Rebel Yell on I've finally gotten around to it, so here it is.
The blow knocked a tooth loose. He spat it out on the floor, along with saliva and blood. Then his vision blurred as he lost the ability to breathe. Something had hit him in the stomach. It was just another assault, and he tried to clear his vision. He heaved onto the floor. A bloody mass escaped his mouth, trailing down his chin.
Now he hit the wall on the other side of the room. He heard a crack. Searing pain shot up his arm and he tried to cry out, but he choked on more blood and vomit. Another crack and his head exploded in a throbbing pain. Every pulse of his heart sent agony swirling around his head. He collapsed into his own bile and lost consciousness.
"Supper's almost on, go take your sister to wash up."
"Do I have to?"
"Yes, your hands are filthy. Go!"
The orb glowed fiery red with the onslaught. Flames shot out of the planet's pores like a spherical cannon… or a dying sun. But it was no sun that burned that day; it was his home. He knew no other place. Every childhood memory flashed through his mind's eye as he silently watched the lush forests burn.
The destruction continued, raining down blue fire, as if to mock the oceans it vaporized. Soon he could only make out orange glows under the billowing clouds. And as he watched his past die, it also grew smaller in the window. Yet, not until the last ember disappeared from view, could he wretch his gaze away. His mind would take much longer.
"Mom, do you need help with those potatoes?"
"No, I got it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, you've got the salad fixings to put on."
He stared at the man… no… monster that let her die. His heart beat with rage. He wanted to kill him. Every thought that pulsed through his being wanted to watch the monster die at his hands. The anger and rage flowed through him, until he could no longer contain it. His veins burst with uninhibited emotion. He leapt for the attack, but his fist flew through thin air. Four powerful arms lifted him back. He fought against them. He fought as hard as he could, but the arms didn't relent. The monster only straightened his tunic and brushed away an imagined spec of dirt. His rage piqued, burning unsated. That bastard! That fucking bastard! He yelled as loud as he could. Murderous coward! Lying pig! Nothing but a pile of shit! Nothing! Nothing! He killed her. No… No…
Finally, the arms loosened and he slumped to the floor. He didn't care anymore. His whole body shook. His eyes grew puffy and he wept for his love…
"Okay, put the turkey over there."
"Here?"
"No, next to the stuffing. Yeah, that's it. Oh shoot I forgot the napkins."
He looked into her face and a flood of emotion passed through him. It didn't last long. This day was long removed from the other. She was twisted and mutilated. Tortured into a hideous creature. Warped into a murderous bitch. She wasn't who he knew before.
He spoke first, covering his emotions with the usual humor. She didn't respond. It wasn't who he knew before. He listened to her words, her wreathed words, but he silently prepared for death. At last the end came not by the hands of his own kind, but by those of an abomination. He thought of his men who bravely followed him here, to stem the tide of invasion. Some thought it vain, but followed anyway, only because he was their leader. Only because there was no one else, nothing else. He despaired at the thought, but he was prepared to face that end.
Yet that end did not come. She would let him go, and only him. Why? His heart soared for an infinite moment with the hope that she could be redeemed, yet his mind fought it back. She could not be saved. She was too gone, too wretched a creature now. But still a lingering light remained, unable to be quenched by reason. He would walk away from this day alive, and yet cursed.
"The milk; it's sitting on the counter. Mom, can you grab the milk?"
"Mom, Sarah's hitting me with her fork!"
"Stop it you two or no supper. Put your fork down. Don't make me separate you."
He sat in the command chair. He didn't know how he gotten there, but he was. He led over five thousand men. From this chair he could rule their fate. Or he could renounce the power and fight alongside them as he had always done. Yet the final moment, when the fate of humanity would be decided, he could not.
The battle raged across the jungle below. Millions of warriors, human and alien alike fought against the raging swarm. And for that reason, he sat in this chair, ready to sound the final charge. One last valiant effort to free the sector from the chains of total war, destruction and damnation.
Yet as his men raced against the massive forces below and as his pilots raced for their life in the sky, he could see the end. The end that held each one of their lives. The end that would drop their lives without second thought. He would die with the rest of them, no different in the enemy's eyes. This kept him from taking that power. This and all the rest kept him from abandoning his own allies.
He watched the golden ship lumber closer to its target. He watched his men hold out one last moment, ready to give their lives for the final effort. The blackened sky suddenly grew bright as the golden ship radiated blue energy. The moment was close. Swirls of clouds parted. Jets of green and purple shot through and wrapped about the massive ship. Three more seconds. Two. One…
A voice reverberated through his head as the sky grew painfully white.
"Breathe deep the breath of life."
It was done, the war was won. Humanity survived, but at a terrible cost. He had survived, but at a terrible cost. One silent tear rolled down his cheek. Rest in peace, dear friend.
"Jimmy, go get grandpa. Tell him supper's ready."
"Okay!" The boy leapt from his seat and ran into the other room. "Papa! Come eat; you can sit by me!" He stopped short, staring at the old man in the chair. One tear rolled down his face. "Papa's crying mommy!"
A woman entered the room in a rush.
"Why is he crying? Papa, why are you crying?"
The old man opened his eyes and looked at the boy. He shifted in his chair weakly then made to speak.
"Breathe deep the breath of life, Jimmy. You only live it once. Never forget that."