>•~Falling Upwards~•<

Chapter Eighteen~ Why?

"I hate some people,"
She would say,
"I hate how cruel people,
Can get away with their faults."

The other replies back:
"I hate them too, So that is why,
I believe in a higher being,
I know what Hell means for them."

——

~C~

My voice hurls around the empty air. It disrupts the awkward peace that had fallen. The calm before the storm — The last shred of peace before disaster falls.

Just as I say that, a shot is fired. None of us know where it went. It's loud call sounds for the start of what is to come. I am shaken to the bone.

The horses come at us faster. Their hooves stamp the ground in a fast, rhythmic pattern. Horses were once used to cause fear to a conqueror's enemy. Now they are used again.

April starts to herd us inside. "Move, move, move!" She shouts, "We need to find something to hold them back!"

I begin to run towards that old building. What weapon do I have? — Better yet, what weapons do we have at all? My eyes scan around the room in a fierce frenzy. I catch sight of a shovel, and a pitchfork. That will not be able to defeat a gun. I am sure of it.

I run to go grab the shovel. It has a sharp blade-like part on one side. However, through its years of work, it has dulled down. I don't believe this would be able to cut anyone.

'The knife!' I think suddenly.

A memory of when I first woke up hits me hard. Lost in the desert, with the sun beating down on me. A knife sticking out of my side. Then there was that question on who I was, who had been stabbed.

Never mind that. Right now, I need to find my courage. Right now, that is who I am. I will use even what was used against me to help us be safe once again. If we ever were safe, that is.

I run around frantically. I see myself like a loose fawn, who had lost sight of its mother. I can't find it. It is gone, perhaps vanished from the face of the desert's sun. It isn't by the couch. It isn't in the kitchen. It isn't in the shed. The only place I haven't checked is outside.

I don't think. Instincts just drive me forward. A small part of me knows that this is reckless, but I can't bring myself to care. Only the loud shouts of men that I don't know force me to stop dead in my tracks.

They all have the same appearance. Even the horses as well. They all are... black and white. None of them hold a speck of color. They are like that faint memory that had hit me.

I gulp. So much for being brave. I try to think back to it. Maybe in a hope that it would spark back some confidence, or a thought to save me.

Colors, dancing, people, people with no faces, children, and a gun. Oh, it had seen so long ago. I had came face to face with me. Another me, who was stronger, although she was just a child. It had all lasted so long, but it was only a few moments.

I open my eyes.

I come back to reality for just a thin moment.

A sharp... thing is pointed at my head. As my eyes adjust, I see the faint sliver of red that dances and spins on it. This leads up to the man's eyes; the man who holds the dagger. He grins viciously, just like a wolf.

Then there comes my hope. He runs into the scene. The knife which had stabbed me long before is in his hands. That is our only weapon. It isn't even ours. Yet, right now, he seems so fierce.

"We want your lands. We want your crops. We want whatever wealth you may hold." A woman with the same sharp eyes as the man orders out to him.

"You must do this," Another continues in a dragged tone, "or this one goes."

Out from behind, I see a flame approaching. A tiger stalking its prey. A wolf readying its pounce. This is April. August is just a decoy. Whether it is me they want to save, or the land, I do not know. I do not care. I just want nothing more but to cry. Thats who I am. A crybaby.

She leaps up behind one. Her movements are swift, and clean. The horse only flicks its tail once, to scare off a fly. Then, after a moment, the being which rode the animal is gone. Only a small trace of red, a horrible color right now, is left on the saddle and dots at the reigns.

"Think twice on what you are doing," August murmurs out. He is rather quiet. Maybe he is scared to alert them that one of their gang has disappeared.

The man rolls his eyes. "Alright ya'll, I'm getting bored. I say we just kill off these freaks, and roll out."

The blade begins to lick my neck. It has gradually moved down. I bite my lip to contain a wince. I need to get out, and do something.

August eyes me. His expression has changed. A terrified look has come over him. I feel as though I should be terrified. I should be even more shook, after seeing him. However, right now I am rather calm. If this is my end, well, maybe I would be a star in the sky and bring back a pinch of light.

No, now is not my time. Another is to fall. Today, that another will not be me. I watch as a person who has already passed runs towards me. He will take my place. He will do the right choice, but that choice will leave me shattered again.

The man has no time to hurt me. The horse is suddenly up rearing. Red, why, there is more red. A dozen, and now dozens of roses have bloomed. I am shoved back.

He, August, looks at me in my eyes. "Know that I—"

I couldn't catch the rest of his words. April grabs me by the arm. I cry out, and beg her to stop. My cries are worthless. They are more words that will never be heard.

——

A/N: please don't come after me