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Feel the Silence

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Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Early the next morning, the horn blew, and the soldiers were marching again before the sun had fully risen. Lucas moved mindlessly, no longer wanting to be left alone with his thoughts. He’d run out of things to think about hours ago. Now he blindly stumbled onward, praying they would reach Rimmington and supplies soon.

It was around midday when he smelled something on the wind. He stopped for a moment, sniffing curiously, which caused another soldier to stumble into him. “Watch it, kid,” the man grumbled.

Lucas shook his head. “Do you smell that?”

The grizzled man wrinkled his nose, then waggled his tongue. “Smoke. Go tell one of the commanders, kid.”

Lucas jogged through the lines toward the front of the column, searching for anyone with an official’s stripes on his uniform. “Captain!” he gasped breathlessly, grabbing the man’s sleeve.

“Yeah?”

He cowed under the captain’s glower. “There’s smoke – do you smell it?” he stammered.

The captain paused, lifting his face to the light breeze drifting through the trees. Then he nodded. “Yes, I do. Good work, Private.” He moved quickly off, toward the company’s commander. Seconds later, a soldier dashed off ahead to scout. Proud, Lucas smiled slightly, but sobered as he realized what this meant. Someplace up ahead was burning – burning badly. The smell intensified over the next few minutes, as they grew closer to whatever it was, so that all the soldiers noticed it. Suddenly, there was a soft blare of the horn, and they shuffled to a halt. The commander moved out ahead, then faced the lines. Lucas, up front for once, could actually hear what was said.

29-Jun-2008 21:31:54 - Last edited on 06-Jul-2013 18:20:33 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Most of you smell the smoke by now. I won’t beat around the bush** The commander hesitated, shaking his head, then exhaling heavily. “Rimmington is burning. There are people in need of our help, so we need to move quickly. The town is about a quarter of a mile away. Be alert; there may still be enemy soldiers around. We’ll do what we can for these people and find out what happened.”

There was a murmuring as the orders were relayed back through the column. Then the horn blew again, and they began to move. Minutes later, they emerged from the forest and were confronted with the sight of the burning town.

Smoke spiraled upward in large pillars from the buildings. What had once been a small hamlet was nothing more than smoking wreckage now. Fields of crops were leveled, leaving only blackened stalks lying across the dirt. Homes were hollowed out shells where roofs had caved in and walls had collapsed. Livestock lay dying in the grass, and horses stampeded from burning barns. Some of the larger buildings, such as the general store, the tavern, and the church, were still flaming. Fire shot out of upper windows and people screamed. In the third floor of the inn, Lucas saw a person running between the flames, before diving out of the window. Lucas felt tears spring to his eyes as the figure crashed to the cobblestones and lay still.

“Help!” screamed a woman, spotting the army as it emerged from the forest. The army flooded into the city. Soldiers dashed toward the burning buildings to rescue those that were trapped, others began water brigades from the wells. Lucas, eager to help, worked his way into a long line and found himself passing buckets full of water down toward the church. His eyes remained on the inn, hoping to see a soldier carrying the other tenants out, but none appeared.

29-Jun-2008 21:32:29 - Last edited on 06-Jul-2013 18:20:43 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
There was a groan from the wood, then a deafening splintering sound. He could only watch in horror as the walls of the first floor gave out and the entire building collapsed around itself, shooting fire in all directions.

Soldiers rushed toward the building. “Go!” yelled a captain, waving at the soldiers around Lucas. He hesitated. There were people in there, but how could he run into a burning building? That was suicide. The captain yelled again, and Lucas forced himself to go toward the inn, fighting the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He followed others through a hole in the wreckage, but was stopped by the smoke. Everything was hazy and discolored, and Lucas’ eyes began to water. Gasping, he tore his sleeve and held it over his mouth. Then he clambered through a slanted, cracked doorway into what must have been the common room. The room was lit by flickering flames. He sidestepped a smoldering table and scanned the room. Nearby, another soldier lifted an old woman over his shoulders and bolted for the exit. Lucas spotted a little boy in the corner, trapped by a wall of fire from the rest of the room. A piece of the ceiling hung down, burning, blocking his way. Panic seized him, wrapping iron bands around his chest. The boy was crying loudly. His mouth was open wide, eyes scrunched, face red as he wailed. Lucas knew he had to do something. He had gotten himself into this mess; now he had to follow through.

“It’s okay!” Lucas yelled, moving toward him. His heart was pounding. What had he gotten himself into? He was terrified, as the walls continued to burst and cave in all around him. He moved quickly and cautiously toward the boy, then drew his sword. The boy screamed. “I’m going to help you!” he shouted, his voice raw. “Just hang on!” With the point of his rapier, he pushed the debris out of his way and slid around it. Then he sheathed the sword and knelt before the boy.

29-Jun-2008 21:32:56 - Last edited on 06-Jul-2013 18:20:53 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“I’m going to get you out of here,” he promised weakly. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he did*’t know if it was from the smoke or from the fear. He wasn’t sure he could even get himself out of there. But he hoisted the boy into his arms all the same, cradling him to his chest, turned, and began to run. He bowed his head and bulled past the flaming debris into the main room, then sprinted for the doorway. Behind him, he could hear the wood groaning again. The other soldiers had all cleared out, and he knew if he did*’t hurry, he’d never make it. His legs strained to reach the doorway and he could barely breathe. He ducked through the doorway, then dove through the hole in the wall and crashed into the cool earth outside, clutching the boy tightly. For a moment he just lay on his back, savoring the taste of clean, fresh air. Then he picked the child up, laughing. “Told you I’d get you out,” he rasped, cackling with the sheer joy of being alive.

Soldiers crowded around him. One pulled the child away, others helped him to his feet. Shakily he leaned on them and watched as the inn exploded, collapsing the last of the structure and shooting more fire into the air. The company tossed water on it and slowly the fire went out. The church was in a similar state, while the general store appeared to have been saved with large damage to the first floor.

“You should get to the medics, private,” ordered a captain, walking up to Lucas. “Good work, saving that boy. You were brave.”

Lucas did*’t know what to say. He wiped awkwardly at the tears still trailing down his cheeks. “I…I just got lucky, I guess,” he croaked. He was guided off to the medical station that had been erected in the main square, where he was ushered onto a bench and a damp blanket was draped over his shoulders. Hanging his head, he closed his eyes and wished he could rest. Every muscle in his body screamed in agony and he felt as though he could sleep for hours.

29-Jun-2008 21:33:17 - Last edited on 06-Jul-2013 18:21:03 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
While he waited for the medic to attend to him, he reflected on what had just occurred. How had he just done that? He was in shock, unable to process it. Pride swelled in his chest as he realized he had been able to save a life. It was a satisfying feeling, much better than how he felt after his first battle. Saving lives, rather than taking them, was a much better aspect of this life. He was still shaking from the fear, still crying, but now with joy rather than terror.

“Welcome back.”

Lucas looked up, recognizing the medic that had treated him before after the first battle. “Hey,” he rasped weakly.

“So what happened? Decided to be a hero, huh?”

Lucas shook his head, forcing a grin. “No, no hero. Just following orders.”

The medic laughed. “And he’s modest, too!” He tugged the blanket off, quickly looking Lucas over. “Anything hurt badly?”

“No, not really. I’m sore, but…”

“Doesn’t look like you have any injuries. You’re a lucky guy. A few minor burns on your face, a few scrapes, but you came out whole.” He patted his shoulder. “You’re good to go.”

Lucas rose, feeling his body creak with the motion, and stretched. “Thanks.” He walked away from the tent, back out into the town. By now, all of the fires had been put out, and the soldiers were treating the injured townspeople. Faced with nothing to do, he wandered over to the garrison at the edge of the hamlet, which, being made of stone, had survived the fire with minimal damage. Many of the soldiers had gathered there in search of supplies, and he was hungry. Hopefully there would be food.

He let himself into the compound through the gate, nodding to a soldier that had taken up guard duty there, and headed for the main building. Past the office, down a hall, he moved slowly, taking it all in. He stopped as he heard low voices, and looked through the doorway of a nearby room.

29-Jun-2008 21:33:52 - Last edited on 06-Jul-2013 18:21:14 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“…came out of nowhere. Suddenly men are screaming, and the barracks was on fire. They killed the main guards. Fire starts shooting out of the sky, blows up a few buildings. We rallied, got their mages, but the fires spread, soon the whole town was going up in flames.” The speaker was a guardsman lying on a cot in the infirmary. He was battered and bloodied, with bandages wound around his head, his arm in a sling, and his leg propped up on a pillow.

“Must’a been the group we fought, retreating,” muttered one of the soldiers crouched by the bed.

“They looked pretty beat up,” offered the soldier. “Carryin’ a lot of injured. Did*’t stop to fight, really – as soon as we got ourselves together they fled. Just swept through and sent us up in flames.”

There was a captain in the room, leaning against the wall and mulling this over. He looked to be middle-aged, maybe younger; Lucas judged him in about his late thirties. But his face was pocked and scarred, and his eyes were shadowed. Now he came and leaned close to the bed. “How many were stationed here?”

“Fifty. But we could’ve taken ‘em easy if we’d been prepared.” The soldier sighed deeply.

“How many are left alive?”

“Harrison died about an hour before you got here, so…” the man counted in his head. “Twelve, maybe. If the other injured made it.”

The captain ran his fingers through his hair, speechless. Lucas moved quickly on down the hall, unable to listen any longer. Suddenly, he thrust his hand into his pocket, realizing he hadn’t made sure the letter survived his adventure in the inn. He pulled the envelope out with shaking hands and blew the soot off. But besides a few smudges, it was unharmed. He collapsed against the wall, pressing it to his lips, and let the tears flow.

29-Jun-2008 21:34:31 - Last edited on 06-Jul-2013 18:21:24 by Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Crystal Smee

Posts: 7,994 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
He cried with relief; he cried with sadness for what had happened here; he cried with the knowledge that he wasn’t going to find another one of her letters waiting for him. This was all he had left of Justine, might be all he had for a long time.

“You all right, private?”

He turned, sniffling, scrubbing his face with the back of his hand. It was the captain that had talked to the soldier. “Uh, yeah,” he muttered.

The captain looked at him a moment longer with a sad, knowing smile, then walked slowly away. Lucas* shoulders sagged. He had to get control of himself. He wandered further down the hall, finding a washroom, and entered to clean himself up. Sidestepping a puddle, he righted the fallen basin and plunged his hands into the cool water, then began to wash his face. When he spotted himself in the mirror, he stopped in surprise. The face that stared back at him was unfamiliar.

His face was streaked with soot, his eyes red and puffy. Stubble had darkened his cheeks and his brown hair had grown longer, closer to his ears. He looked ragged and worn. He looked tired. He looked into his wide brown eyes and realized that he looked afraid. Like he did*’t belong. He bent over the basin, fighting against a new flow of tears. “Soldiers don’t cry,” he whispered to himself, and swallowed the lump in his throat. “Come on, Lucas, get a hold of yourself.”

Looking back up, his eyes had hardened, and his jaw was set. He continued to wash his face until the ash was all gone. He drew his knife from his pack to shave, then stopped and put it back. Long fingers ran over the stubble, and he smiled. No, he’d leave it. He looked older, rugged – more like a soldier, he thought. Justine hated beards, though.

But he wouldn’t be seeing her for a while, would he?

29-Jun-2008 21:35:06 - Last edited on 06-Jul-2013 18:21:44 by Crystal Smee

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