The Sisters of the Moon and Sun – Part 1

Blood.

That is never a good word to start a story with, at least, not a story worth telling…

However… blood was what she saw. Blood was what appeared to be everywhere. Blood dripped from the curtains, the bed, the dressers. Blood flowed in slow and small rivers from the master bedroom into the hallway. Dried blood stained the walls, fresh blood poured from the bodies spread throughout the house and red seemed to be the only colour left in the world when Laeriel hurried up the stairs towards her baby sister’s bedroom. Janey sat on the floor, a huge pool of red surrounding her tiny body, as she looked up towards her big sister with watery eyes. Laeriel halted on the threshold, afraid of entering the room. Janey didn’t make a sound, she just stared into her sister’s eyes, her clothes soaked in red, her hands touching leftovers of a family member lying there, lifeless.

“We have to go” Laeriel said, her voice sounding strangely hoarse, as if it was not really her speaking the words. Janey just sat there, her eyes wide, staring at her without blinking. “Now!” Laeriel said, her voice taking on strength from the dread she was feeling. Janey’s small body started at the word and she stretched out her arms toward the familiar figure standing in her doorway. Laeriel hesitated for only a second before she jumped into the room, scooped up her little sister and started to run.

She ran out of the house. She ran through the streets full of screaming half-mutilated people. She ran past the burning houses and the collapsed buildings. She ran through the village gate that had crumbled to shrivelled bits into the road, dust flinging up behind them as she ran, faster and faster.

Finally they reached the woods but she didn’t dare to stop running or to look back. Therefor Laeriel pushed herself even harder until she could not feel the burning in her legs and her lungs. The dark of the woods began to pull away as the breaking of dawn took its place and Laeriel decided that she could run no further. She slowed down to a trud, and then to a walk, and then her legs collapsed beneath her. They softly fell to the ground and both crawled under a fallen log. Closely huddeled together, Laeriel closed her eyes while gasping for air as quietly as she could. Janey still hadn’t made a sound but she touched her sisters cheek softly with two fingers. Laeriel jerked her head back at the touch but then quickly changed her mind and pulled her little sister’s hand back to her cheek.

“Everything will be fine” She breathed in Janey’s ear, “I promise”. She put her arms around her little sister and rocked her softly against her breast. “You’ll see, everything will be just fine” she whispered, over and over until the fatigue became too heavy for her to stay awake.