A feeling of devastation consumed me as I looked down at the tiny baby not even ready to be born into this world. He never got his first breath, never had a chance for life. All that had ended at the foul hands and mouths of the vicious Day Stalkers.
I couldn’t even look at him. There wasn’t much that remained.
I had failed the baby. I had failed Mindy.
She wasn’t dead. Her stomach was a wide open wound, the umbilical cord dangling from her. She coughed blood with every gasping breath and her head twitched to the right.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I reached down to her.
“My… my….baby.”
“I’m sorry.” I wanted to scream. Sobs built inside of me and Mindy whimpered. One small whimper and then she died.
Everything that transpired around me seemed to freeze in time and I swam in the aftermath. Briefly, I forgot about the attack. Then Mindy’s eyes opened. Her mouth widened, and she made a hideous sound.
She had transformed.
For the final time, I apologized to her, lifted the hoe, and using the handle, I ended her short time as a Day Stalker.
The stirrup hoe dropped from my hand and everything came back to me in a rush.
There were screams and cries all around, coming from Lyons Estates. The people there, like those in Rio, were being attacked.
Children cried in pain, women and men screamed in agony.
Knowing I would deal later with the grief over Mindy, I had to fight.
Once again, gripping the only weapon I had, I stood.
“Going somewhere?” Nito asked. She held her hand back to her soldiers, keeping them at bay.
I wanted to attack, I wanted to go after her, but I also knew she was the single source that could end it for Lyons Estates. “Stop this. Please,” I pleaded. “Stop this now. Call them off.”
“If I do, you will go?” Nito asked, stepping toward me. “I will stop this. I will call them back. However, you will return to Akana and you will choose me.”
I was about to answer, prepared to drop my weapon and surrender when Marie’s angry voice blasted from behind me.
“She will do no such thing!” Marie stepped in between Nito and me, holding a spear. She didn’t show a single ounce of fear. “We’ll end this and she stays. We kill the Stalkers and then you’re next.”
Nito laughed. “You feeble old woman. You know nothing.”
Marie did not take her eyes from Nito, but she moved back, spun her spear and struck at Nito. It hit Nito in the side of the face, sending her backwards.
A soldier moved for Marie and with the spear end out, she quickly impaled him in the chest. When she retracted it, Nito had gained her footing.
“Vala, go!” Marie yelled, swinging toward Nito, only Nito caught the spear. They engaged in a struggle over the weapon.
Marie wanted me to leave, but I couldn’t. What if she needed me? Even though I knew Marie wanted to handle it, I stayed.
The remaining soldier came forward to intervene and Nito screeched at him, “I have this!” With a grunt, she took control of the spear, swung out, striking Marie. The blow stumbled Marie back and blood poured from her forehead.
That didn’t stop Marie. With a closed fist, she struck Nito, causing the spear to drop from her hand.
I believed Marie was facing her victory. Nito was actually bleeding from her lip.
Then it all happened so fast. Nito acted so quickly, I barely caught movement. She reached out, grabbed Marie by the throat, yanked her close, then with a wicked, demonic scream, struck into Marie’s chest and ripped out her heart.
Nito looked at me with a snide smile. “We’re not so different after all, are we, Vala?”
Marie was still alive, because her body jerked and twitched. Nito released her and Marie lifelessly dropped to the ground.
That was it. With a bellow of rage I raced toward Nito with all intentions of taking her down. She was done.
I was a Mare. I could take her, of that I was certain.
I came within an inch of stealing her life, an inch of striking out at her, when she grabbed hold of me with a strength I didn’t know she had.
Her hand clutched tightly to my throat and I gasped for air. I couldn’t breathe. My throat felt as if it were crushing as she lifted me from the ground.
Nito's face blurred in my vision, and my life was slipping from me.
Her eyes connected with mine and she spoke. “You stupid little girl. All you had to do was come back. Now you have no—”
Nito’s eyes widened, she coughed once, and blood shot from her mouth, splashing against my face. Her grip loosened and she released me. I dropped to the ground, gasping for air. Coughing and choking, I looked up to see an arrow protruding from her torso. It had entered her from a side angle.
Before Nito fell to the ground, her remaining soldier grabbed hold of her, swept her in his arms, and took off across the field.
“Oh my God.” Tanner dropped down beside me and reached out. “Vala, are you—”
“Don’t…” I said hoarsely over my ragged throat, “don’t let her get… away. Kill… kill her.”
He stood quickly and took off.
I rolled over to my knees, trying to stand, trying to get all of my air. I saw Marie. Her wide open eyes were staring at me.
Unlike before, they weren’t warm. They were cold and without life.
No. No. No.
I crawled over to her. Her chest was saturated with blood and her heart lay next to her on the ground.
This wasn’t happening, it couldn’t have happened— not to Marie. I was crushed; my heart was right there along with hers.
The first tear rolled down my face and a sadness like I never experienced swept over me. It was a pain that I felt physically as well as emotionally. I reached out for her, wanting with all of my soul for her not to leave me. She had just come into my life. I needed her.
My grief consumed me. I wept uncontrollably. It rolled from my chest and through my throat, and all reasoning left me.
“No,” I whimpered and lifted her heart. Maybe… just maybe if it was returned to her... maybe if I wished it hard enough, I could bring her back to life.
How foolish I was. Crying, I returned her heart to her chest and held my hand over it.
Live. Live. I wished and prayed.
Marie didn’t move, she didn’t breathe or blink.
She was gone.
I slipped my arms under her, rolled her into my chest, held tightly to my friend, and sobbed.
46. Aftermath
I hadn’t moved at all. I remained on my knees in that vineyard, Marie’s head resting on my lap, and I just didn’t want to move. I stayed with her a long time. So much so that the screams of the attacking Day Stalkers turned to gunfire and then finally, silence.
A battle raged behind me and I was frozen in my grief.
Marie’s body grew cold and all color of life drained from her. I had taken my fingers and closed her eyes, I didn’t want to let go.
Death was something I had never really faced. Other than my brother, Marie was the only person I had cared about that had died. I didn’t know how to handle it. I was angry and sad at the same time.
Marie’s death did not have to happen. She died because of me, trying to stand up and protect me.
Tanner had returned at some point. He found me where he had left me, and crouched down before me.
“I couldn’t catch them,” Tanner said softly. “I tried.”
I glanced up only a second, the returned to looking at Marie. “Nito will die. The arrow went into her chest.”
“Vala, I’m really sorry. Do you need me to help you?”
“No.”
“I can carry Marie…”
“No. Leave me. Please.”
He did.
I stayed there reflecting on what all that had transpired. How Mindy lost her life, the child she carried was ripped from her, then Marie was killed She didn’t deserve it. The people of
Lyons Estates didn’t deserve the pain and terror they had endured.
Some time had passed, the air had cooled and the sun wasn’t as bright when Davis found me.
“Vala,” he said softly, “I know you’re in shock, but we have to leave. We have to bury Marie and leave the village before sundown.”
“I’m safe from Savages.”
“I don’t want you left alone.”
“I don’t want to leave her.”
“You have to, sweetie.” Davis lowered to the ground to be close. “You have to.”
“How many people died?”
“Vala, you can’t think—”
“How many?”
“We lost forty people. One child.”
My eyes closed tightly. “This is all my fault.”
“No, it’s not. This was done by the Sybaris.”
“Because of me. If I had left, if I had heeded the warning, none of this would have happened.”
“We don’t know that,” he said.
“I do.”
“Nothing I can say right now will take away your pain. I can only tell you that they will pay for this.”
“Yes,” I whispered. “They will.”
“We’ll come up with a new plan.” He placed his hand on my arm. “Now we have to bring Marie in from here.”
I nodded. “Can I have just a few more minutes? Just a few more?”
“Five. That’s all. Okay?”
“Yes.”
Davis stood. He ran his hand over my head as he walked away.
Five minutes. I had five more minutes left with my friend. What would I say to her? Would she even know or hear me?
“Vala.”
I knew the voice and when I heard him, a part of me felt outraged. I glanced up to see Iry.
“I’m only going to stay a moment.” Iry crouched down. “This didn’t have to happen, I told you. Why didn’t you listen?”
“I don’t know.”
“This isn’t over.”
“Oh, I know that. At least Nito isn’t going to be a problem.”
“She is, Vala,” Iry said. “She isn’t dead.”
I looked at him shocked. “She has to be.”
He shook his head. “She’s not. She’s going to strike again if you don’t come back.”
“I’ll be ready.” I glanced back down to Marie.
“She’s not coming with the Day Stalkers next time. She has one intention and one intention only. You have to leave here, Vala,” Iry said pleadingly. “Because your hero boy, Tanner… he’s next.”
My heart pounded a single beat that thumped against my chest. When I looked up, Iry was gone. He had said enough and said all I needed to know.
47. Dawn Decision
I was exhausted, yet any attempt to sleep was futile. Each time I dozed off, I would quickly jolt awake with visions of Marie and Mindy. It made me sick to my stomach. I didn’t want to drink or eat.
Davis took me off of patrol for the night, but I stayed outside. With only a few days before a full moon, the Savages would get restless and at the very least, my presence could offer some sense of protection for the Lyons Estates citizens.
They had suffered because of me. They weren’t going to suffer anymore.
For as much as my heart and head were consumed with sadness over Marie and Mindy, I thought clearly about what I had to do and what needed to be done.
There was only one choice.
At first light, I slipped into Marie’s house. It was so empty without her. I washed and placed on the best outfit I had in my possession. I grabbed Marie’s saddle bag, placed in it a few food items and water. When Marie and I had gone to her home in Rio, she had retrieved photographs from her mantel. One of them was a picture of Marie and Leo in which they were young and happy. That picture also went in the saddle bag.
I took a moment and with great thought, I left a letter for Davis. In it I told him what I was doing and why.
After I finished that, I headed to the stable and saddled Roughneck.
“We’ve got a long day ahead of us, boy,” I said, stroking his mane. “Are you ready?”
It was peaceful and quiet at Lyons Estates, the sky was light, and it was time for me to go.
I opened the stable doors, mounted my horse, and with a deep breath of courage, I gave a gentle tug of his reins and we started our journey.
Quietly, and without notice, I slipped from Lyons Estates. I took the route east through the vineyards and across the fields behind Marie’s house.
It wasn’t long into my journey, and I had just made it to a road, when I heard a steady sound of trotting behind me.
“Vala!” Tanner called out. “Vala, stop!”
I pulled back on the reins and brought Roughneck to a halt. Tanner pulled alongside, jumped from his horse, and ran to me.
“Val, what are you doing? I read the note.”
“If you read the note, then you know.”
Tanner shook his head. “This is crazy. You can’t go.”
“I have to. I am the one who caused the hurt and pain and I have to stop it from ever happening again.”
“And leaving is the way to do it?”
“Yes. Davis wanted to send someone to the Straits. He wanted to get some chosen and into the city of the Ancients. It has to be me.”
Tanner reached up and grabbed my hand. He held it firmly and his words quivered. “So you’re just gonna go back. That’s it?”
“The only way to get inside their city is to be chosen. I’ll do it, if that’s what it takes.”
“By him. Chosen by him?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
“You know what that means. You know what it means if you go with him.”
I hesitated and swallowed my emotions. “If that’s what it takes.”
“No, Vala. No,” Tanner pleaded. “Please. Please don’t go. Don’t do this. We’ll find another way. Please don’t leave.” He placed his lips to my hand.
The moment his lips touched my skin, my entire body jolted and my heart jumped. He stared up at me, his eyes pleading as much as his voice.
“I can’t. I’m sorry. I have to do this.” Slowly and reluctantly, I pulled my hand from his, taking in every second that our fingers touched until my hand was no longer in his. “I’ll see you again.”
I snapped the reins and began to go. I couldn’t look back.
“Vala!” he cried out. “Don’t do this!”
His voice faded from my ears the farther away I rode, but he didn’t fade from my heart.
I heard him, I felt him, I just wouldn’t allow myself to look back and see him.
It was what I had to do, my only choice. I knew from the earliest age I was destined to battle the Sybaris.
I left my new friends and family of Angeles City in the wake of the aftermath of a horrific battle. It was a battle that we lost.
However, it was far from the end. It was only the beginning.
The beginning of my destiny. The beginning of my journey. The beginning of the war.
Man would prevail again.
About the Author
Jacqueline Druga is a native of Pittsburgh, PA. She is a prolific writer and filmmaker. Her published works include genres of all types, but favors post-apocalypse and apocalypse writing. Currently, she resides in a small town south of Pittsburgh, where not only is she a writer, but devotes a good bit of her time enjoying her grandchildren.
Awakening the Mare (Fall of Man Book 1) Page 16
