And The Heavens Fell Silent by Maria Louise (beach read TXT) 📖

anything
tear her apart.
In a dark world,
with no light
a young girl was shining,
shining too bright.”
I now understood the song, and why mother would try to hide her tears every time she sang it to me.
I wept too.
Hot, salty tears rolled down my ash stained face and dripped into my opened mouth. The salt and ash tasted like hopelessness.
But still, I sang on. Pheonix

“Fires all go out eventually”-anonymous

  A Voice, melodic, musical, wavering. A face, alien, delicate, beautiful. Her lips moved apart from the faltering song, but a voice that beautiful must be hers. She beckoned to me, her delicate hand extended. Suddenly she turned and walked away into the darkness, but her voice continued on. Finally she faded away, I wanted to follow her but I was unable.

  A tickle in my nose woke me up, the singing still floated through the skeletons of trees. I stood up, ash clinging to my arms and legs. I looked down to see long, dragging footprints pulled through the ash that covered the fire-hardened earth like a carpet. I followed the trail, but didn’t need to look at the prints, a magnetic attraction pulled me towards the epicenter of its power.

  I finally stopped when I reached a small clearing in the skeletal forms, a veritable break in the spine of the forest. She was sitting on the back of a vast animal, a horse , I guessed. She tried to calm the creature by stroking its mane. Her hair was gray, as was the animal, but it might have been the ash. A mighty shake of the horses’ large head sent ash and dust everywhere, showing a small amount of the creature’s true perle color. I walked around the edge of the clearing a little, my skin had been changed to the color of the surrounding trees and ground. I saw her face as she raised it from the dust and sweat of the horse's’ neck, a tear running through the grey pallor on her face. She hopped down from her perch, kicking up a cloud of fine powder. In that instant I knew that she needed help, a protector, and I might be the person to save her.

Yram

 

I felt someone's eyes on my back. Watching me, stalking me. Slowly eating away at my sanity. All I knew was that whomever was following me, wanted to waist my blood upon the ash.

        Despite the fact that me and Hosanna had been riding throughout half the day and into the red moon night, I urged him into a fast jog. I knew it must have been hell for him, trudging through the dry ash that continued to flutter around us and finds its way into our orifices and other places that I would rather not think about. The white ash had long since stopped being beautiful and eloquent. It was now only itchy and dry. Think on the bright side! I urged myself, knowing that a dimmed mood would only bring me more despair. The only bright thought I could conjure up was, at least I am alive, and even that was not at the moment, a happy thought.

        Without food nor water for more than half the day, and the ash drinking in any leftover moisture I had, my mouth felt like cotton and I could barely open my eyes because they had almost no moisture in them. It hurt me to think what Hosanna was going through, him being closest to the ash and running for so long. I wanted to let him rest for the night but feared we would be slaughtered if we stopped for too long.

        A couple of minutes later Hosanna started to wheeze and try unsuccessfully to snort the hated ash out of his nostrils. We had to stop. There was no choice, unless I could figure out a way to stop the ash from being inhaled into his lungs...

        I flung myself off of Hosanna, angry at myself for being so stupid as to not have thought of it earlier.

        Hosanna stopped gratefully beside me. I grabbed a handful of my ash stained shirt and ripped it in half. My entire stomach was completely revealed, showing off the satanic star that cursed and mocked me. I would have never dressed like this in my village, though most women wore less. I did not want man to get any more ideas than they already had about me. If people were not so afraid of me, I would have been taken into a cult because of my looks, though it was because of my looks that people were afraid. What a mad world.

        I took the ragged strip of my shirt and tied it tightly around Hosanna soft and prickly muzzle. At first Hosanna tossed his head around humorously, but then he seemed to realize it was keeping the ash from his lungs and settled down.

        Shockingly, I heard a branch snap behind me.

        I was so terrified that with a burst of adrenalin I ran at Hosanna as fast as I could and tried to leap up on him.

        Apparently, the adrenalin gave me an extra burst of strength because I hurtled over Hosanna and landed with a puff of ash on my already sore butt.

       I would have laughed at myself if I hadn't been so terrified.

       Fearfully, I peaked around Hosanna leg to see my attacker.

     My terrifying attacker was no larger than my foot and seemed to be just as afraid as I was.

Its entire gray body shook with fright and its long ears were pointed straight upward listening for sign of movement.

        I relaxed with a great big sigh when I saw it did not have pointed carnivore teeth but two large and flat buck teeth.

     But, if not a carnivore then a-

       I could not believe my eyes! A herbivore! The animal seemed to decide I was not a threat and went about digging under the ash fall to find random sprouts of grass.

        There must be water nearby or this animal surely wouldn't survive. The thought gave me hope. We might survive after all in this never ending forest!

        Then again, maybe we won't.

       I saw their yellow eyes reflecting in the red moon light before I saw the actual beasts themselves.

        A pack of wolves jumped forth from the brush and attacked the poor little animal. The massive wolves tore at the herbivores week flesh, mercilessly hungry for blood.

        The animal squealed and shirked at first but then the savagery wolf growls overwhelmed its delicate sound and soon there was no sound at all. Blood was sprayed in crimson droplets across the powdery ash and soaked the wolves mussels.

        Eyes blurry with tears for the lifeless animal, I slowly stood up and stepped toward Hosanna who was frozen in shock.

          A huge white wolf with a missing ear and claw marks across his face, spotted us first. He let out a low, deadly growl that seemed to get the other three wolves attention. They all turned toward us, hackles raised and bloodied teeth revealed.

        I knew there was no way Hosanna could outrun them with me weighing him down. I would kill us both if I rode him. The only way for him to survive was if I distracted the wolf’s as he ran. Maybe it was better off if I died. After all I was chosen to bring hell upon the earth.

        With unrealistic quickness I brought my hand down on Hosannas rump, startling him into a full out run. I watched sadly as his white fur disappeared into the dark forest.

       To my relief the wolves did not even try to go after Hosanna. They could sense I was the weakest and the easiest prey.

        Their canines flashed even wider as they smelled my fear leaking off of me in waves. With their lips pulled back revealing all the glistening teeth, it looked as if they were smiling at me. Mocking the gruesome death I was about to face.

        The copper smell of blood filled my nose and I steeled myself, not willing to run for it. There was no way I was going to give them the satisfaction of a chase. I was going to fight for my life if it was the last thing I did. Wrong choice of words, I noted grimly.

         I diminished my fear like putting water to flame and held my hands out in front of me in what I hoped was a threatening gesture.

        “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil,” I said fearlessly looking the white Alfa wolf directly in his yellowed eyes. It was odd for me, looking something in the eyes, even if it was not human.

       To my astonishment the wolf backed up a couple of steps and acted as though he was hesitant about eating me alive. I gasped in astonishment and talked on. “For you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” As I spoke I strolled toward the wolf, getting more

confident with each step.

        He coward and rolled over onto his back showing my dominance. The other wolves backed away from me as if I was the more terrifying predator. They then circled me and started howling a melodic tune. The song they sang was somehow eerie but eloquent. In all of this horror there was still beauty.

        Three things were going through my mind at that moment.

        Thank. You. God.

        “Lucifer! Come 'er, ya damned animal! Stupid mutt... ” Came a gruff voice from somewhere in the forest.

        Suddenly, a group of around nine people pushed their way into the small ashen clearing. With dread I noticed four of the peoples hands were tied behind them, and what looked like various bruises were spread across their frail bodies. They were all girls to, the oldest at least in her mid twenties.

        My “Thank. You. God.” quickly turned into a “Help. Me.Please.” It seemed as though I had gotten out of one life threatening experience just so I could find another.

        “Lucifer.” said a big mean looking lady calling the white wolf to her. “What a fine present ya have got me. This ‘ere filly will fetch us a fine trade.” The lady licked her greasy lips with her sluggish tongue. Her eyes ran up and down my body, seeing