Chapter 5: Numb
"Oh Shit"
Before him was a collapsed house lying in ruin. A section of roof lay where the kitchen should be. Studs, once in walls, now turned to jagged spikes. Beds, couches once so clean now covered with ash and dirt. But the sight that disturbed him the most lay, legs caught under rubble, embracing two young children.
A woman, who looked to be in her thirties, lay with tears streaming down her face. She looked at him with the most pleading eyes he had ever seen.
In an instant he was there next to her, lifting will all his might to pry the fallen support beam off of her. But his efforts were in vain as the massive pillar had not budged a single inch.
"I'll find a way to get you out of here!" the man shouted with urgency in his voice but the woman just shook her head and gave him a forced smile laced heavily with sadness. She gestured to the children sobbing into her shoulders.
"P-please" the woman managed to choke out "get them to safety. Take them to Vale, find their uncle Ben."
"No, I can't, I wouldn't know the first thing about taking care of kids."
"I haven't much time left, don't argue with me young man." She scolded. "I've lived a full enough life. Let them live one too".
The man came to an understanding and reached out to pick up the young boy as she pulled him from herself, gave him a kiss, whispered a few words in his ear, then lifted him up for the man to grab.
The boy immediately tried squirming away from the man while crying out to his mother before she silenced him with a quick "Hush."
The girl came a little easier, being older she grasped the situation more so it seemed. After saying some final goodbyes to her mother and sharing an embrace, the man leaned down to pick her up. She quickly put her hand up, "I can walk" she stated with a harshness in her voice.
"I love you both so much. I'm sorry. Now go, it will be night soon."
They turned to leave with the girl walking ahead looking rigid. As the man went to out of the ruble the woman whispered, "Hey."
He turned to look her in the eye. She made a gesture with her hand for him to lean his ear down for her to talk to him.
"Leave your knife here." She said, pointing to the throwing knife on his belt."
The look on his face was a look of pure puzzlement.
"Starvation is a painful death." She responded after noticing his confusion.
With a gulp and a stiff nod, the man dropped his knife on the ground and slid it to her under his foot in a weak attempt to hid it from the young girl who had stopped and looked back at the group.
He then turned and began walking away to catch up to the girl.
They walked through the blood splattered streets and through the hole in the wall. The wall that had once promised to protect this peaceful town.
He covered the boy's eyes through the entire ordeal but the girl, she saw it all. Walking in front of him, she never uttered a word. She didn't cry. She didn't panic when when stepped through the blood of a town guard. She merely keep walking forward in a daze.
I know it's kinda late...really late to be posting this. Any interest in this story is most likely gone from the people who enjoyed the first chapter. But, regardless, I decided to put out the rest of what I had, with some minor edits, so it wouldn't be stuck in my Google Drive for the rest of eternity. I'm getting back into writing and may attempt to finish this story. Anyway, hope you enjoy what writing I have done so far.