how did we get here

chapter one

All she heard before everything crumbled before her was a loud rumble. She hit her head on the way down.

"Ell!" She faintly heard, registering the voice as her twin sister.

Diell sat up, the house around her stood no longer, "Ora..?" She was brought into a tight hug by her sister.

Oracion was crying, "Diell we need to go! The bad men are here!" She pulled Diell up from the ground and began to drag her away from the decrepit village house.

The rest of the citizens were in similar disarray; destroyed homes, injured people, running away and praying. Diell whispered a prayer to the Great God as she ran with Ora. The only good thing about being young and short was that they could hide.

A woman in front of the twins fell to the ground, an arrow right in between her eyes. Oracian almost threw up, making a left turn to hide underneath a mangled piece of wall with Diell.

"Citizens!" A loud, booming voice echoed through the town, "Surrender yourselves to us and we'll spare you!"

Diell shook her head to Oracion, looking around from her hideout to find an escape- any escape.

She couldn't see a way out.

Their beautiful home was destroyed. The friendly town was now bloody and ruined. Deill felt consumed with so much rage, but there was nothing she could do. She was only seven.

Oracian sniffled, wiping her tears and breathing out. They had to be quiet.

The twins shuffled back as soldiers walked past in uniform manner. They were scary. Strong men carrying weapons that will soon be stained with the blood of everyone in this town.

"They aren't going to spare us..." Diell whispered. Ora shushed her, holding her hand tighter.

They hid there for who knows how long, listening to the screams and pleads of the people they grew up with being ruthlessly murdered. Diell felt sick.

"Soldiers!" The voice from before yelled. They stood and saluted him.

He walked through the rubble,"Good work, men!"

Ora held her sister closer, shaking in fear.

He stopped in front of the hideout.

Diell picked up a sharp rock next to her and held it closely, she would not take this.

"Well, well, well..." He hummed, "Boys, you missed something. Come help me."

A chorus of 'Yes, General' was heard before a few set of footsteps came rushing over to Oracion and Diell.

This was it.

Diell looked to Ora.

Ora looked back.

The general huffed and pushed the flimsy wood away. Diell jumped up and stabbed the general in his leg with the rock, stunning him so that she could grab Oracion and try to escape.

It was fruitless, of course. They were children. What could they have done to escape an army?

The general yelled and grabbed Diell by the hair and pulled her up by her hair. She screamed in pain. Oracion yelled out for Diell but was also grabbed by another soldier by her wrists.

"Who the hell do you think you are, brat?" He huffed, glaring into Diell's eyes, "Huh? Answer me!" He screamed right into her face.

Diell tried to kick him, but was thrown to the ground. She whispered a prayer for help.

"Answer me, brat." The general demanded, "Who. Do. You. Think. You. Are." He punctuated each word with venom.

"Let us go!" She yelled, whimpering in pain. The general must of broken a few of her bones.

The general looked bemused, moving to step on her hand. Breaking her hand with a shrill scream. She began audibly praying to the Greater God.

Oracion could only watch on in terror, she couldn't move. The soldier that had her pulled out his sword.

"Wait," The general commanded, once again pulling Diell up by the hair and propping her to her knees so she could watch this. "Go on, Soldier."

The soldier grinned readied his sword.

"E- Ell!" Ora sobbed, "Please! Please! Help me!"

Then she fell quiet. Impaled right through her chest. Fear forever on her small face.

Diell screamed, "Ora!" She yelled whatever she could at the general and his stupid soldiers, cursing them to oblivion.

The general could only bellow with laughter, once again throwing her to the ground, "Let's go. The brat'll be dead by tomorrow."

Diell was left on the ground, occasionally being stepped on by a soldier as the abandoned the destroyed town. She sobbed, calling out for Ora.

She could barely move.

Trying her hardest, she managed to crawl over the few feet to Ora's cold, dead, bloody body. Diell managed to cradle her twin's body, sobbing a prayer to the Greater God.

"P- Please... save her." She could barely speak above a whisper. The general was right, she'd be dead soon.

Diell decided to lay down next to Ora.

"I love you, Ora."

She could swear she heard Oracion respond, "Love you too, Ell."

She was tired.

"'M gonna sleep..."