Riley kept her eyes closed as gunshots rang out and screams filled the air. This could be the end for her and her people. The world outside was burning. Maybe this was for the best. The world was such an awful place. It also didn’t seem to be getting any better. Perhaps she’d rather die and leave this awful place behind than go on living. Her one hope was that the death wouldn’t be too painful.
“Come on! Riley, let’s go!” Lisa was pulling her out of the car now. “We need to go!” Sally and Riley clung to each other as they climbed out of the car. The streets were far too crowded to drive through. Outside, the air was thick with smoke. Heat clawed at Riley’s cheeks. Her vision blurred and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the smoke or her own fear. Riley tried to push away the fear and focus all of her attention on the warmth she felt in her heart. Screams rose up from the nearby Formas and shouts of rage rose up from the humans.
All the sounds and sights filled Riley’s mind and clouded her senses. She couldn’t think straight anymore. The noises all swirled together and formed a cloud of blinding, bubbling chaos. One voice rose above the wall of sound. It was a sharp and harsh voice. Inola’s voice sliced through everything and cut into Riley’s mind. She couldn’t understand the words. But Riley didn’t need to. She knew that they had been spotted and Inola was after them. The little group began to run away from the voice. New gunshots rang out. Lisa grabbed Riley and shoved her and Sally to the ground.
“Stay down!” Jorden ordered. Riley could tell from his voice that he hadn’t given up yet. She didn’t want to stay down. At this point, she didn’t mind the idea of being shot. She just wanted to stay away from Inola. Or did she? Rage slowly began to replace Riley’s fear. Inola was the one who had destroyed her sister. If it wasn’t for Inola, Sally would still be talking. Sally had suffered through so much thanks to Inola. What Inola had done had been excruciatingly cruel. It didn’t matter why she had burned Sally. It also didn’t matter if she had failed to end Sally’s life. Inola deserved to be punished for her crimes. Riley forced herself to open her eyes and face her enemy.
“Riley! Stay down!” Lisa took hold of Riley and pulled her back. Riley tried to wiggle free. She wanted to attack Inola. She wanted to charge at Inola with everything that she had. Tears of anger and fear streamed down Riley’s grubby cheeks. But no matter how hard the child struggled, Lisa held her firmly. Inola kept her eyes on the sisters. Riley tried and failed to read the emotions on Inola’s face. She looked calm, despite the danger that surrounded her. How could someone be so calm in this situation? A calm and controlled look was spreading across her face. It was neither fearful nor angry. But Riley couldn’t see any joy either. It was a look she could only describe as resigned. Lisa shoved herself between the sisters and Inola. Sally closed her eyes and buried her face in Lisa’s side. Sally’s entire body was shaking.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
“Don’t worry,” Riley whispered to her sister. She knew that Sally couldn’t understand her. But that didn’t matter. Sally knew she was trying to comfort her. “I won’t let her hurt you. We won’t let her hurt you.” That was right. They weren’t alone anymore. They had Jorden and Lisa here with them.
The world around them glowed with flames and heat and fear, just as Riley’s mind did. Inola charged towards them. But for once, she wasn’t scared of her. She feared the flames and the gunshots. But she no longer had anything to fear from Inola. She was outnumbered and in just as much danger as they were. Riley gritted her teeth and braced herself for a fight. A hand suddenly grabbed her arm and yanked her away from the group. A cry escaped Riley as she was shoved to the ground by one of the humans. Now a gun was being pressed to her head.
“Stop! She’s a human!” Lisa screamed. Riley’s attacker paused. Shock and recognition spread across the man’s face at the sight of Lisa. He turned to face her. But his hesitation gave Riley a chance to fight back. She lashed out blindly and managed to knock the gun out of the man’s hand. She felt his grip on her arm loosen and Riley was able to free herself. She scrambled across the ground, reaching for the gun. Sally was next to her now. Riley had never shot a rifle before. She had used her pistol a couple of times. Hopefully that was enough experience for her.
A blow to the back of Riley’s head sent pain shooting through her. She looked up to see Inola standing over her. Sally screamed. Riley lifted the rifle. But before she could shoot, Inola collapsed. A bullet had buried itself in her neck. Riley stumbled back as a pool of blood began to form. So much blood. Everywhere she looked, she saw blood and fire and death. Why did things have to end like this? Was this the end of the world? Sally slipped her hand into Riley’s and the girls closed their eyes. Right now, Riley just wanted to forget where she was. Home filled Riley’s mind. She saw Jorden’s Garden and all the flowers that had bloomed there. She could see the warm sunlight on the grass. She could feel the warmth of the memory. The more Riley thought about it, the clearer the image became. It took on a distinct shape in Riley’s mind.
She had experienced this once before. In Jorden’s Garden, with the shovel. But this felt a little different. The shovel was just a shovel. This was everything. It was the life that Riley and her sister had wanted to have. It was peaceful and safe and full of love. Riley hadn’t known that dreams could hold shapes. But this one did, and it was growing more and more real with each passing second.