Dark Trail

Rounds With Trees

When Salem and Alena finally fended off the harpies with sharp, jagged sticks, Ember was still laying on the cold dirt, clutching her palms to her ears. She heard her name being called multiple times but refused to open her eyes. Alena had tried to unhinge Ember's hands from her ears, but didn't succeed. Eventually, the other two kids collapsed beside her and just hugged each other silently.

After a while, Ember's arms felt wobbly and she had to lower them. Her face had gone numb thanks to the claw marks that made their way across her face. Her mind kept replaying the moment when Oliver's limp body was yanked out of her hands. Ember looked down at those bloody hands. Her nails were chipped off and jagged and she was certain her pinky finger was broken. She had various bruises and gashes on her arms, but she didn't feel one. In fact, she would be happier if she could. If only she could feel anything. She deserved it. She was the one who let go of Oliver. She deserved to be dead, not him.

"It isn't your fault, Em," Alena whispered beside her as if she had read Ember's mind. Ember said nothing and just kept staring at her broken and bloody hands. Her lip curled into a snarl. She tore herself from the ground and walked up to a tree and swung at it without hesitation. When she couldn't feel that either, she let out a growl and hit it again. And again. And again. Until Salem pulled her away. That was when the faucets behind her eyes turned on.

She could feel Salem shaking beside her and she could hear Alena's sobs. "We," Ember breathed in shakily. "We have to get out of here. I'll be damned if I let her die too," she told Salem through clenched teeth.

"What do you mean by that?" Alena asked, her eyes red and puffy. Ember looked at Salem and he nodded.

It took Ember about five minutes to explain just about everything that happened. With every sentence, Alena's eyes got wider and wider until she was starting to look like a cartoon character.

"Eira did this?" Alena's tone made Ember's heart break. It was so full of anger and resentment. But over all, it was betrayal. Ember nodded.

"Yeah."

"Look. I know you don't want to hear this... We need to get revenge. They can't do this to other people," Alena suggested.

"Revenge isn't going to bring them back, Alena," Salem put a brotherly hand on her shoulder but Alena shook it off and glared at him.

"But it will ensure that it doesn't happen to anybody else," she fought back. Salem shook his head.

"That will never work, Al. There are too many and what are we going to do? We have no weapons," Ember pointed out. Alena pulled a lighter out of her pocket. In all honesty, Ember had no clue where she had gotten it.

"We burn it down. All of it." Alena's voice was cold and had no remorse. "And since I might not even survive this..." She tossed Ember the lighter. Ember stared down at the glossy green rectangle in her hand. It seemed that the fate of her world was in her hand. Inside of this little green rectangle.

"Let's just focus on trying to get out first," Ember told the girl and shoved the lighter into her jeans pocket. Alena's cold dark eyes stared daggers at Ember, but Ember avoided her gaze.

A crunch to Ember's right caused the kids' heads to snap in that direction. A hooded figure stepped into sight. Alena reached for one of the sticks they used to fend off the harpies.

"Who the hell are you?" She demanded. The figure raised her hands and lowered the cloak hood. Eira smiled at the three of them.

"Sorry, my loves. But it's time to make things more interesting." This was not Eira. This was something else. Something dark. Eira raised her hand to the sky and lighting rained down on us. That was when everything went black.