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She tried to sit up, but it was difficult with her hands bound behind her back. It took a few tries, but eventually she was successful and propped herself up against the wall. She searched for Eli but could only see women and children. Most of the women appeared to be young as well. Her stomach dropped. Her mom was nowhere to be found.
Panic bloomed in her chest again.
Keep a cool head, Ali.
She knew they hadn’t wanted to kill Eli, and he wasn’t here. Maybe her mom was somewhere else too.
A little girl next to Ali met her eyes, petrified. Ali used her shoulder to nudge the gag in her mouth. It was tight, but it was loose enough to roll down and out of her mouth. She licked her lips to get rid of the cotton mouth feeling.
“Are you okay?” Ali asked the little girl
She nodded tentatively, and tears welled in her eyes.
“Are your parents here?”
The tears fell, and she shook her head in dismay.
“Everything is going to be fine.” Ali knew she shouldn’t make promises she couldn’t keep, but the little girl looked so terrified.
She contemplated how to get to her feet in this condition, but before she could make any moves, a door opened and blinding light poured in from outside. All she could see was a shadow of a figure, followed by several more. And then several more. They filled the room and grabbed whichever woman or child was closest, then led them back out the door. Ali watched in horror as the numbers dwindled.
The quiet was unnerving. It had been so loud before she’d been hit over the head. The silence spoke volumes. It said, “You’ve been defeated. We broke you.”
Andus had fallen.
This wasn’t the rushed pace of combat—it was the aftermath. They took their time.
A man grabbed her by the elbows and pulled her up. Ali shook out of his grip and spat in his face with fury.
He grumbled inaudible words and replaced her gag with unnecessary force, then had to practically drag her out the door. She certainly wouldn’t make it easy for him. The world spun and she stumbled, but the man kept her upright.
He removed the rope binding her hands and repositioned them so her hands were in front. Then he tied them to a long string that connected her to other people from Andus.
Prisoners. Hostages.
What would become of them?
“Move, move!” Loud shouting erupted from the front of the line and the rope jerked forward. Ali welcomed the numb feeling that took over. It was better than the devastation that threatened to drown her.
They made their way to the entrance of Andus. The clearing that had been used for celebration just a day ago was now unrecognizable. Smoke filled the air while the surrounding buildings burned, and lifeless bodies littered the ground.
She gasped in horror when she spotted one body splayed on the ground.
Jack.
She stopped in her tracks and sobbed uncontrollably. A rough hand on her back forced her to keep moving forward, leaving Eli’s father behind. Her eyes filled with tears and her vision blurred again. This was too much to process.
How could this have happened?
Bodies were lined up in the street as if the people had been killed execution style and it left a bitter taste in her mouth. Each of their bodies lay in a row, guiding the prisoners to the entrance of Andus. Sasha’s body was among the fallen.
The hostage procession caught up with the executioner, and Ali couldn’t look away from the grisly scene. It became clear they had gathered anyone over a certain age to kill and anyone below was being taken. She and Eli had been spared because they could be used. These people…they could not. Their lives held no value to these intruders.
People she’d known her whole life kneeled on the ground, trembling with fear and waiting for their turn. Ali’s ears filled with screaming and crying that intensified with each swing of the executioner’s sword.
No. Please, no.
Her lips quivered in utter ruin when she finally caught sight of her mom. She kneeled in line with the rest. She was alive, but her time was dwindling. She caught Ali’s eyes and her look of dread dissipated. “Stay strong, my beautiful child,” she said. Her words were soft, but each one hit Ali like a blow to the chest. “I love you.”
