4My gaze flits over the gentle landscape, tears gathering in my eyes. The wind tugs playfully at my hair as I absently brush it to the side, trying to hold onto the little dignity I have.
Something shifts behind me, and I sigh, waiting. My eyes close briefly as I try to picture the forest behind me. The shades of green flash before me, and I concentrate even harder to keep that image. I can almost feel the misty dew surrounding me as the sun rises, bringing a sense of contentment.
The rough shove that pushed me forward quickly discarded my vision. Only then do I realize that the sun is setting and the forest I saw moments before was fading away. The flames could be heard crackling, and the shrieks of the people within caused a constant ringing sensation in my ears. The smell of burning flesh was upon my sense of smell, causing a feeling of sickness to settle lightly over my stomach.
A safety lock is pulled off, and it takes all of my willpower not to spill my dinner onto the ground. Swallowing slowly, I turn around, towards my burning sanctuary, towards death itself.
"Why?"
I barely manage to choke out that solitary word as I look into shades of azure. An awkward silence stretches over us, expressions never wavering once from our cold façades. I swallow slowly, eyes never leaving his, ears never drowning out the screams, the burning flesh becoming more apparent. It is almost as if time has frozen, taking me prisoner into its maddening depths.
"Fate."
His solitary word takes me by surprise, and suddenly time begins moving much too fast.
"You and I are nothing but pawns." A click cuts sharply through the air. The cold expression on his face never changes, but his eyes soften a bit. "Death will always come, whether under the shade of the moonlit sky or among the songs of flames. Prolonging the inevitable will only bring more pain." "I-"
My words get caught in my throat as pain bursts through my shoulder. I gasp for air as I begin my fateful descent towards the ground. Another shot rings through the air, and this time the pain tears through my side, and I hear the sickening sound of blood dripping against the rocks.
His eyes never leave me. He stands there, staring with an almost morbid fascination as I struggle for air. Gritting my teeth, I muster enough energy to finish what I had started.
"..I...cannot stop you from your obligations."
The gaze unnerves me. Slowly I lift myself from the ground, the pain fading to a dull roar. I estimate I have ten minutes before blood loss drags me to the land of the dead.
"What do you plan to do?"
The smoke is floating over towards us. Everything is silent, as the dead wait for my answer to the inquiry. I notice that the sky has taken on a dark countenance, and night has settled, bringing the familiar sense of fear that many experience as children. My hand travels to my tangled mass of black hair, lazily pushing the locks back. I won't let him see me trembling.
"Tell me a story."
My request startles him. His eyes widen slightly, and his arm falls to his side. I smile painfully at him, my eyesight filling with tears. Another void of silence.
Eight minutes.
He clears his throat and rubs his arm, a sure sign of his discomfort.
"I have no story to tell."
My smile drops slightly at the lie. By now I can only see the darkening shades of azure. The night seems to have overtaken everything else. I can't feel the wind anymore. How strange.
Six minutes.
"I'll tell mine then."
He nods curtly, and cautiously slides down to a sitting position. His hands cling to the gun for security, and his posture tightens, as if waiting for me to make a desperate attack that most of the dying attempt before that spark of life dies. I make no move, and just wait until he finishes adjusting to his new arrangement.
"I fell in love once. It cost me my home, my people, and my life."
No expression change. No movement. I draw in another deep breath. I hear another click, and I sigh once again.
"I still love him."
His stare lowers as he aims. As the trigger is pulled backwards, I gaze at him, searching for the coldness that always managed to calm me. The pain melts into me, and I whisper on my dying breath, too dizzy to think of anything else but those brilliant coals of azure, cool as they look at me.
"It was his eyes."