1 Chapter 1: The day our world was conquered.
A thunderstorm bequeathed a percussion of rain from the tar black sky. The mists that gathered, a silver shade, from the strongest of grey to softest whites, had blotted out the gold tinge of the sun for almost a week.
The rain flooded the gutters, drowned the fields and overflowed the dams. It was a nightmare, an unending cataract of water sluicing from the sky.
Every person able to run picked up their pace, holding futile hands skyward to fend off the worst as the water washed over their skin.
An injured mother and her child were part of the few survivors after the massacre that took place in their town. The woman had many wounds and broken bones, but she had to keep running. Turning back was not an option that could keep them alive.
"Ah," the woman blurted out the second she tripped over herself, yet ensured her body would shield her daughter from the fall. She arched up on the muddy ground with her little girl wrapped firmly in her arms.
"Mummy... please stop" The child was close to tears. Her mother had been running to save them both for the longest time. She couldn't bear to see her mother in such torment, despite understanding why. Her mom was all she had left and she feared the worst that could happen to her because of it all.
"Over there mom. A place you can rest" The child's mood brightened as she pointed forward and her mother looked up with teary eyes to see stone pillars surrounding half-crumpled buildings in a nearby place.
After struggling to get back on her feet, the woman lifted the girl and her own body weight on her feeble legs before she limped through the dead clusters of grass on the ground.
The trees creaked in the breeze and the lightning flashed after every cracking boom amongst the darkened clouds.
The woman searched for a flat surface or something that could emulate a chair to sit on and rest. Luckily for them both, they discovered a stone large enough for their need.
The woman sat down and put her daughter in her lap. She sighed as she wrapped her arms around her daughter, hoping that her body heat would be enough to prevent her from catching a cold. Their hiding place had something like a roof, so they had shelter for the meantime, but sadly, no food.
Going out to search for something edible was risky. There was no telling if the people they were running from were nearby.
The toddler looked at her mother's thighs and could see fresh and old wounds, open cuts, some still bleeding and bruises the shade of blue, purple and black.
"I love you mom," the girl said.
"I love you too Veronica."
Even if she couldn't survive the war, one way or another, she wanted her daughter to live regardless of if she had to give up her life in return.
It would be hard to forget the sight and numbers of the dead children after the unknown blast, and she certainly didn't want her daughter to be part of the statistic.
So much rain fell that the sound blurred into one long, whirring noise. It unnerved the child. She just wanted the rain to stop and the bad people to go back to their own land. She didn't want her mom to keep running forever, but there was no telling when it would stop and how much longer the war would last.
The woman quickly covered her daughter's nose and mouth, then ceased her own breathing as well. Someone was near. She heard giant footsteps. It was almost like whoever was out there was not alone.
The two were frozen still as they waited for the threat to leave. At some point, there was no more sound of heavy footfalls against dead leaves but just the sound of splashing rain water.
"I'm sorry," Veronica's mother whispered. In a flash, a thick smoke surrounded a head that popped out from the ground, in a spot close to them. Just like Veronica's mother had thought, they were really one of those black magic users with red eyes. It was the first time she was seeing one of them up close, and deep down, she hoped it would be her last.
The woman tried to escape, but all her efforts yielded to nothing. The Witches surrounded the pair and forcefully dragged them out of their hiding spot by their hair and clothes. Veronica and her mother were now completely covered in mud, wet, cold, and bruised.
Veronica's mom stretched her hand out for her daughter and the child did the same, but all Veronica could grab unto before they pulled her mom away was the loose bracelet on her wrist. All it took was a yank, and it broke in half, leaving one part on the ground and other clustered in the youngster's hand.
"No, don't take her away! Leave my mom alone… Mom… Mom… Mom… Mom" The young lady twisted and turned in her bed, sweat trickling down her brows until she sat up as if at alert, breathing harshly after the nightmare of her past.
