Keepers of the Moon

Nova 2020 C.E. (2.)

My feet carried me toward Ilse’s private quarters, or more or less our private quarters. We only used it now when it was absolutely necessary. We needed people to trust us, so going around and secretly communicating with each other was not how you created trust. So we did as much as possible out in the open where everybody could hear and see us. The fact that Ilse and Mere wanted me to come here to have a conversation was not something I liked.

Something was really wrong.

And it required secrecy.

The room was well lit and I took a deep breath as my eyes sucked in the light. Ilse was standing in the corner, holding onto a table. Her face as white as a sheet, pearls of sweat glistening on her forehead. I looked at Mere who shrugged.

‘She wouldn’t tell me what was wrong until I found you.’ The yellow light of the lanterns reflected on her dark skin and made her eyes twinkle. I could see that part of her hair hat matted due to the lack of mirrors down here. I wondered if I looked this dishevelled. My arms were dirty, smudges of sooth and mud wiped across my light skin. My hair was in a braid on my back, though I knew that I desperately needed a shower. I could almost grasp the tension in the room as Ilse slowly walked over to us. From closer I could see that her eyes had sunken and it looked like she hadn’t slept in days.

‘Well, I’m here now. What’s the matter, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.’ My voice echoed through the room. It was way too loud. Tension shattered, Ilse took a shaky breath.

‘They found us.’  

Mere looked at her uncomprehendingly.

‘What do you mean?’

Ilse angrily wipe a tear from her face and slammed her fist on the table.

‘They found us! They will come for us!’

 ‘But how?’ My voice was calmer than I felt. The rush of adrenaline was overwhelming, but it woke me up enough to actually register what was happening. My mind started calculating, I’d already unconsciously been working on an escape plan.

‘When?’ The word was calm and came out cold. Mere pulled up her eyebrows and looked at me, her face a mixture of fear and confusion. Ilse didn’t seem to understand the question either.

‘When are they coming? Are they already on their way?’ I wanted to shake her, snap her out of her confusion. We needed to act, while there was still time.

‘ILSE TALK TO US!’ Mere’s sudden outburst of anger startled even me. Her hands were clenched into fists and her eyes were burning with agonising fear. I felt the same. The undeniable feeling of terrible fate catching up on us.

‘They… They’re already here.’ I looked at her in disbelief, anger growing inside me. I looked at Mere and with a mutual look we both started running toward the common room.

Even though the darkness hid me and I kept tripping over my own feet, I ran. Faster than I’d ever done before. This was a matter of life and death. The girls needed to leave. Right. Now.

Mere skidded to a stop and started yelling.

‘THEY’RE HERE! RUN!’ The initial reaction was slow, almost one of disbelief. I yelled the same and this seemed to wake everybody out of their slumber. They got up, a rush of panic sweeping through the mass. I kept looking around to see if I could find Abi. My sweet little Abi.

We needed to get out.

Abi needed to get out!

Then the world stopped turning, my hope collapsed and all that I had dreaded came to pass. I was pulled into a shadow of the darkness, while the light in my heart died out. Pieces of me shattered in the cold, foul air, my breath caught in my throat.

It was the sound that I would remember, it was the first thing I heard. The loud explosion and a flash of light. A girl, whose name I did not know, collapsed without a scream. She was the first, many more would follow. Then the explosions came from all directions and everybody tried to flee in a panicked frenzy. They fell over each other as more bodies crumpled to the ground. They spared no one, not even the children.

My body took over from the rising terror inside my mind. I was running. My feet thumping on the ground, Mere close behind. She did not need to ask where I was going. She knew. My body knew.

As the world fell around us we ducked into a dark corridor, leading to another smaller room where Abi liked to play. There we found her hiding behind a box of scraps. Her terrified eyes looked at me as she pressed her hands against her ears. With my heart pounding in my chest and fear coursing through my body I grabbed her and kept on running. Mere was still behind me. I could hear her raspy breathing and pounding steps. I went as fast as my feet could carry me and the sewage turned into a black blur. Abi jolted up and down with the movements of my body. But she made no sound, she had been stunned. A flash of light came from my right, but the bullet missed me just barely. I felt it whizzing past me, it brushed the hair alongside my face. Mere’s footsteps halted and there was a soft thud behind me. I looked back and saw her body sprawled on the floor. Her glistening eyes were still open, her mouth forming a wordless scream. Blood spread out from around her head.

My Mere.

Behind her I saw the shadow of a man. The only thing I could see were his piercing blue eyes. There was nothing in them, they were cold and completely empty. No remorse, no hope for escape.

I turned tail and ran. Knowing full well I wasn’t going to make it out alive. I turned around a familiar corner and then peeled Abi of me. She was completely numb and didn’t even protest as I shoved her into a box and slammed on the lid. Without ever getting the chance to say goodbye I kept on running. Abi safely tucked away in a box of unused blankets. But I didn’t get far.

As soon as I turned another corner I ran straight into the hands of another man, with the same relentless piercing eyes. I didn’t even had time to register what was happening. A shot ringed in my ears and my foe smiled. The world fell away as my chest exploded in pain. I felt the bullet pierce my skin and ravage through my ribcage. All strength faded from my body as I collapsed on the cold hard floor. I saw nothing but darkness, but I could still hear the chaos in the distance.

They slaughtered my people.

And now my life was over.

I had achieved nothing.

Abi was all alone in this cruel world.

I would join Mere into the Beyond. 

Then nothing. 

But I would wake. Lost in the silent world. Through a haze I'd gone looking for Abi, who was still hidden in the box. She didn't move, nor acknowledge my presence. Without a word I moved toward the west, where the rising waters led to the harbour. There we would find our escape. Straight to Caledonia. But it would be longer still before I realised what I'd been through. Just a single question rolling through my mind. 'Why was I alive?'