AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I love you, too, Mom,” Ali whispered. She tasted salty tears as they streamed down her face.
I love you, too.
The executioner moved on to Anna, who sat upright with determination and tenacity. Ali couldn’t watch. She swiftly turned her head when he brought his arm up to swing. She held her breath and knew when it was done by the gasps and cries that rang out.
The executioner didn’t pause. Didn’t give them time to grieve. He moved on to the next person with a swift swing of the sword. Another body fell. Another round of screams from the crowd.
Ali closed her eyes and let the rope tug her along. She was completely shattered, a ghost of herself. This life didn’t feel like hers anymore.
This was the end of everything.
Snow fell for hours, covering the ground with several more inches before it finally stopped. It made traveling immensely difficult. Numbness started in Ali’s toes and spread through the rest of her body. The rope cut into her wrists and rubbed them raw. She could already see irritated red marks forming.
Exhaustion made her steps slow and her eyes heavy. The sun was only just setting, but it felt like it had been days since she’d last slept. The trauma of the day’s events wore on her body and mind.
Was it really just this morning that I woke up in Eli’s bed?
The other women and children in line had to be feeling the same way. Their pace slowed multiple times throughout the evening, and each time, an invader shoved them forward aggressively. She witnessed a couple children stumble over their feet and fall to the ground. The invaders were quick to grab them and prop them back on their feet. They showed no mercy. They were ruthless.
They were a rather quiet group. No one had much energy left. No one wanted to rehash what had happened. Most of them were trapped in their own heads, wishing to wake up from this nightmare.
They traveled farther than Ali had ever been before, way beyond the route she’d shared with Eli. She didn’t recognize any of the scenery anymore. They’d left behind familiar paths and trudged through overgrown forest. The trees encroached upon her, pressed in and suffocated her. The branches, although leafless, kept out most of the sunlight. Darkness loomed over them as if warning of things to come.
The leaders of the pack came to a halt as night fell. Their final destination would apparently be a multi-day trek and this was where they would stop for the night. Ali and the other prisoners huddled together, their shared body warmth the only relief they got from the cold air. The older women attempted to shield the kids by circling around them. Ali hadn't spotted Eli yet, although her gut told her he was still alive.
Her eyelids drooped as she sank into the nook of a tree. She didn’t trust this group of soldiers enough to let her guard down, but she doubted they could do much worse to her. After a few minutes of sitting, drowsiness took over and she could no longer fight it. She hadn’t realized how tense her muscles were until they relaxed between the other captives. Closing her eyes, she surrendered to exhaustion. If only she could wake up and find this was all a dream.
But it wasn’t. It was a nightmare, and it was only just beginning.
The sun hadn’t even risen when people stirred. A couple men came around to wake the prisoners and hand them food and water. So much had happened yesterday that she hadn’t realized until this moment just how hungry she was. She hadn’t eaten in almost a full day. She took a bread roll from a man who looked even younger than herself. Was he here by choice, or had he been forced to join this invasion force?
He looked too young to be corrupted like this. Had he killed people? Did it terrorize him the way it did her? She tried not to think of the people she had murdered the day before. It had been self-defense, and she would do it again if she had to.
All her muscles ached and even eating the bread was a chore. Her jaw was clenched and her head was pounding. She took small sips of water, afraid that if she drank too much, she might vomit.
They didn’t give her much time before everyone was standing and prepared to move out. She stretched to loosen up her tense muscles, but it was no use. Her legs were like solid logs, and it took a strenuous effort to move them forward. The cold air assaulted her skin as the group spread out along the rope. She desperately hoped that today’s hike would be shorter than the day before.
They trekked through the woods, the weeds thick, and brambles sliced at her legs. The trees moaned in the wind, singing a solemn song. Mourning that which had been lost. It was the only sound that accompanied their hike.
After what felt like hours, she spotted the black-haired man with the beard again and made eye contact. Ali had never hated anyone in her life, but she despised him. She wanted to claw his eyes out like a feral beast.
He smirked and fell back to walk next to her. “So glad to see you again, love. Are you enjoying the walk?”
He chuckled, amused with himself, but Ali found him entirely unfunny. She refused to acknowledge him. His voice left a bitter taste in her mouth.
“What’s your name?”
More silence.
He bit his lip and ran his eyes over her. “I’ll just call you ‘love,’ then. I’m General Colin, but you can also call me ‘love’ if you’d like.”
He leaned in closer and the stench of sweat and blood made her want to vomit. It was repulsive.
“Are you pouting, sweetheart? Mad we sent your little shit hole up in flames?”
His smile made her skin crawl. Again, she did not respond.
“Maybe you’re just not the talkative kind, hmm?”
