Chapter Seven

I scramble out of bed, my frantic eyes searching for an exit at any possible turn. I cough violently, eyes straining with the effort to see past the ash and red hot flames. I stumble past my bedroom, the roof almost instantly falling in. I trip and fall, no have no strength to stand, the flame kissing my skin. Tears fall down my cheeks as I cry out in pain. "Zmiena!" A muffled voice calls out against the roaring of the flames.

"Help," I whimper out pathetically, my eyes rising to the burning ceiling that will cave in at any second. Someone bursts through the room and comes to my side.

"It's okay, Zmiena. It's going to be okay!"

"Ben…" something is draped over me and I'm lifted off the ground. He holds me close to him, spinning around as he looks for an exit.

"It's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay. I'm going to get us out of here." I mumble my thanks, but I don't think he can hear it. "Hold onto me, okay?" I nod and cling to Ben like my life depends on it, mostly because it does. Next thing I know Ben bursts through the doors, I fall out of his arms and roll. I groan in pain, screams and sounds of fighting reaching my ears. What is going on? I slowly rise to my feet, looking around me with wide, fearful eyes. My village is alight with flames, people running around and fighting the hunters that invaded the village.

The haze, my dream, no, my nightmare. It came true. Oh my gods, mom! "Mom!" Adrenaline kicking in, I begin running around the village where I see mother, ushering the kids to safety, handing them off to Dimitri. "Mom!" I run over to her, her head lifting up as she sees me. Behind her a woman sneaks and creeps, ready to take her down in the most dishonorable way ever. "Mom! Look out!" I point my finger and she turns around, just in time. She withdraws her sword and fends off her attacker, easily cutting her down a size. I breathe a sigh of relief and run up to her has fast as I can. Then a gunshot rings out, she stops, so do I.

"No…" I run up to her side as she falls, bringing her into my lap. She's gasping in pain, her breathing ragged to the point it sounds painful. I place my shaky hand on her gut, tears streaming down my face. "Mom, you're going to be okay." My heart hurts worse than ever before as I watch my mother force a smile on her ashy face. I smile back down at her as I put pressure on the wound.

"Zmiena," she reaches up and cups my cheek with her bloody hand. Her voice is shaky, broken, fear lacing my name in a thick coat.

"Shh save your strength, don't talk. You're going to be okay." My voice cracks despite myself, a broken smile forming on my lips as I begin to cry.

"Do you remember when we would...would go on picnics." I nod and she laughs. By the gods she laughs and it's tearing me apart.

"It's okay mom, we'll go on a picnic after this. You, me, Dimitri. We'll all go out and overlook the village, eating Dimitri's food that will be over-cooked but we will say we love it anyway, because we are a family." I lean into her touch and force a laugh.

"I love you," I shake my head, tears falling fast and hard. I hold her hand to my cheek and try to hold back my cries of anguish.

"No… no don't say that please. Please." I rock us, holding her close to my chest. She says nothing back. "Mom?" Nothing. "Mom.. mom please… say it one more time." I cry into her neck, her body limp in my arms. "I love you too."

"Aw, how sweet," I look up to see an one eyed man standing above us, blood coating his body. "Don't worry, girly, you'll see her again soon." He aims a gun at me and my eyes widen. I let go of my mother and grab my attackers wrist and tackle him to the ground. Straddling his waist I repeatedly slam his hand against the ground until he drops it. I quickly pick it up and press the barrel against his head.

"Go to hell." I fire and a deafening bang fills my ears, leaving nothing but a ringing as his blood splatters the ground and paints me red. I stand up and begin firing at enemies. That is, until I'm tackled to the ground. I cry out as I drop the pistol and get pinned to the ground, hands above my head and a knife to my throat.

"Not so tough without yer wee gun, are ya?" I spit in his eyes and a darkness flashes across his face. "You aren't going to live to regret that." His plunges his knife through the palms of both of my hands. I arch into him and cry out in pain, bucking my hips violently to get him off. "Yer a feisty one aren't ya?" He laugh and licks the blood off my cheek. "I like them when they fight back." I feel like I'm going to hurl. "Mmm, you taste so sweet." Yep, going to hurl.

"Aus Ton!" A male voice barks, halting my torturer. "She's pretty! Put her with the others damnit! We only get the undesirables for ourselves!"

"But they are all desirables!" Aus Ton groans and yanks the blade from my hands. "We need a healer!" A shy female elf comes skulking up to the bastard with a glass vial in her hands. The man snatches it away from her and she goes running off.

"Drink or die Zabyty." He pops the cork and shoves the opening of the vial into my mouth, forcing me to drinks its rancid substance. I cough and sputter as he pulls it away. He then grabs a fistful of my hair and shoves me into a caravan, slamming the door shut.

"Zmiena!" Someone kneels by my side, looking up, it's the last person I ever thought I'd be thankful to see.

"Ben." Just like that everything hits me, he pulls me into his arms and I burst into tears. Picking me up he takes me to where he was sitting and holds me on his lap.

"Hey… it's going to be okay. We'll be okay." I shake my head, crying violently into his chest.

"No… she's dead… mother is dead."