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Sopping mud squirmed through the cracks of your soles, dampening your already sticky feet.Though the bracing air carried it’s pungent aroma from the city behind you, it exuded a feeling of liberation.You were running from the hell hole that called itself Prehevil. All that lay before you now was the ocean.
It’s vastness, the rhythmic dissonance of waves crashing into one another was too peaceful to resist. A portal to freedom. All you had to do now was cross it.
You stop just before the waves could reach you, your breath heaving, your throat dry and barbed. The coarse breeze did not help matters either. Taking in the muddied waves within your grasp, you gulp a couple times, attempting to moisten your throat and regain your energy.
The horrors of Prehevil may have been relentless, but compared to the ocean, it all felt like child’s play.
Taking in one last gulp of the rotten air, you reach down to take off your shoes, ragged and beaten from many a pursuit from the crazed city dwellers and ungodly creatures inhabiting the city, so far removed from humankind.
The tips of your socks shined, soaked in a flash fire of red. It should have alarmed you but it’s brightness and vividness stood out from the grey landscape swamping your vision, like finding a budding rose in a deep, dark trench.
A part of you retaliated as you reach to slide the socks off your feet, anxiously anticipating how beaten and corroded your toes had appeared, if you even had toes at all.
Raw flesh was all that remained of your small toes, the rest were in fair condition all to your relief.
But you were headed to the ocean. None of that would matter much longer.
Gritting your teeth as you take the first step into the ocean, an invigorating sensation engulfs you, ushering a moment of lucidity, something you hadn’t felt for a long time. You were going home, finally.
A biting cold elevated from your limbs, a mix of salt and mud stung at your wounds. It harkened a sharp, yet rectifying pain, one akin to a flu injection. Though the image of a needle piercing through flesh was one you’d presently prefer to forget.
You took one last glance at the looming city behind you. A derelict masonry of apartments, shopping malls and bars reaching to the sky like helpless devotees pleading to their master. Its central tower stood above them all, like a shepherd overseeing his sheep, keeping watch of them all.
A fervent huff exuded from your nose, a not-so courteous farewell to the city. A reminder of where it all went wrong.
To your dismay, a figure emerged from the city, running down the concrete stairs connecting the city to the beach. They were pelting towards your direction, their arms waving relentlessly. Your breath hitches as your first instinct beckons you to run.
Tensing up your muscles, you struggled to fight off the current pushing you away from the milky horizon, as if urging you to turn back.
Your breaths heaved once more, a feverish bile rising to your head, you grunted and wailed as you attempt to charge through each oncoming wave.
The footsteps of the figure behind you became more apparent, cutting through the sharp cries of the bracing wind.
Your whole body began to pound as you lift your weary legs even higher to fend off each wave, a feeble attempt to defy nature itself.
Just as you had found yourself a rhythm, a large current grabbed hold of your shins, shoving you down to the sea’s level. Your hands crashed into the shallow waters, breaking your fall as you roll onto your backside.
There was no time to wallow in your failures when freedom was just around the corner. All it took was a brisk swim and all would be well.
Disregarding the yelling approaching your way, you steadied yourself and regained balance. One step followed into two, three, four… Before you knew it, your feet had lost contact to the shore, you had taken flight.
A soft voice called out your name, over and over, reverberating across the murky coast. A voice so sweet and certain, it reminded you so much of a loved one, of your family.
How you missed them so, their laughs, their cries, the times you spent playing on the beach even in such dark times as the first Great War.
You had to cross it, you had to cross it for them.
“Please, stop!”
Bewildered from the yelling emanating from who knows where, you continued to swim, a vulgar taste brewed In your mouth as you squirm to keep your face above water.
Warm skin makes impact with yours. You yelped abruptly. A strong arm clutched the garment draping your back, their grip firm and precise.
For a moment, your whole body plummeted, submerged under water. It was quiet. You hadn’t realised much of an uproar came from somewhere as far removed from Prehevil as the beach. The thought of staying beneath the surface was a tempting proposal. But, above you was the body of a familiar friend.
How could you have forgotten?
A trail of red hair meandered with ripples of water, a pair of mustard overalls pressed against you, engulfing your vision.
She hoisted you upwards with ease, returning you to the surface.
As your vision adjusts to the surface world, Abella beheld you with darting eyes, riddled with worry, her red hair wet and clinging her face.
“What were you thinking?!” The redhead yelled with a heaving breath. “It’s not safe out here on your own!”
Words refrained from escaping your cracked lips, all you could muster was to follow the steady hum of Abella’s deep breaths, slowly grounding you.
“Come on… Let’s get you to solid ground.” Abella sighs, her tone subsiding to a tender thrum.
She retains the firm grip across your body, this time wrapped around your abdomen her warmth slowly engulfed you as you gently place a hand on her back. She was soft, but her strength belied her delicate touch, carrying you effortlessly towards the shore.
As your feet returned to the miry ground, jagged pebbles prodding at your soles and all, both you and Abella toppled to your hands and knees, exhausted.
The two of you knelt between the sea and the shore, you breathed heavily, letting the foam from the paling tide glide between your fingers.
Something drove you to madness, pinning the exact moment it all ensued or what provoked it all proved tumultuous. Prehevil had strange ways of keeping it’s inhabitants under a choke-hold, that much remained true.
Just when all seemed to return to some form of normality, your eyes flung back to your hands, turning an unnatural blue.
“Cold”. Is all you could muster.
Eyes still locked to the shore, a fivesome of fingertips, tingling with warmth, grazed gently at your wrists.
“May I?” Her soft voice calls out. Abella crouched to your level, her steel eyes looking fondly upon you.
You nodded, giving her consent to hold your hands.
Your hands immediately warmed up as you lifted them from the sand and into Abella's touch. She shuffled closer, clasping your hands together, brushing them back and fourth. “Thank you…” You whisper, your stuttering tone laced with fatigue.
“You’re welcome, silly.” Abella chuckled. Even in the leaden landscape, Abella’s smile remained just as sunny as when you first met.
“Now, I know you're no helpless child. That's why I'm going to warn you…” She paused for a moment, her sudden sternness betraying a note of motherly concern. “You shouldn't stray from the group like that anymore, alright? It's not… safe.”
“I won’t…” You replied. “I’m so sorry if I alarmed you. It’s just…” Your head returned to the watch the sand, your chest coiling and twisting as if rejecting your own body. “I miss my family…”
Abella gave you a sympathetic look. “I understand, believe me. It's okay to miss them. But try not to let it get to you too much, alright? I know you can't but…” Abella grasped your arm gently, nodding with an air of unshakeable confidence. “I believe in you.”
“Thanks, Abella… And same to you.” You said softly as your shoulders began to relax, an unforeseen weight lifting off your shoulders as you look up to Abella. You hadn’t realised how tall she was up until this moment, the tapering sunlight resting on her shoulders, blocking you from further cosmical harm.
Eyes agleam at your newfound resolve, the stocky yet tender redhead squeezed your hands together, not unlike a firm handshake, only without the formalities and traces of empty promises. No, far from it.
“Let’s just get through this together, okay?” Her words stewed with compassion. “You’ve been through so much already, but I know you’ve got this!”
“You’re right.” A resolute sigh escapes your lips as you leaned into her grip.
“Now, how about we head back to the group. It’s getting late and… I think the others might be worried.” Her eyes flickered towards the main city, hesitant and wary. “You know we can’t let them down.”
“Alright..” You nod, and so does Abella.
She stood first, shuffling to the side to pick up your shoes and socks. A small grunt escaped her as she steadied herself upright. As she does so, she returned her soft gaze back at you, her eyes, tired but glinting with an unwavering willpower, one determined to keep you safe, alive. You so wished you could return that same look, but your head shuddered, a numb and bleary sensation overcoming you in it’s stead.
But as it turned out, your mind wasn’t the only matter weighing you down.
“Ugh, damn it. My legs.” You groaned as you feel your knees buckling.
Quick to react, Abella steadied you, her hand gripping your arm firmly. “Hang on, I’ve got you.” Soon after, her hand released from your arm, travelling towards your back, her other hand clasped onto your footwear looped under your thighs. She lifts you with ease, cradling you close to her chest with a gentle embrace.
You leaned into Abella’s lift, resting your head against her neck, the warm thrum of her pulse soothing you. Trails of her long hair brushed against your cheeks under the frenzied sea breeze.
“I’m so sorry, Abella. I’m so helpless.” You croaked, your body failing you as you surrendered to her Oldegardian’s warmth. Your instincts urging you to utilize Abella’s heritage, bestowed on her by the cold-hardy outlanders of the north.
“You’re not helpless. You’re just struggling.” Her voice was soft, warm against your ear. “It’s alright to not have all the answers, it’s okay to not have it all together.”
The assurance and affection dripping from the sweet hum of her words, it sent a glimmer of joy all throughout your dishevelled being. “Gosh… I really needed to hear that.” You whispered, as if sharing a well kept secret. “I… promise I’m going to make this all up to you. You- you’re amazing…” Your throat lingered on those final words as you sunk further into Abella’s neck.
“Oh, don’t you worry about it, darling.” She chuckled, offering you a reassuring squeeze. “You just focus on taking things one day at a time. You’ve been through so much, it’s only natural to feel overwhelmed.” Her embrace loosened as she turned to look at you, her expression loving yet turning to hints of distress.
“Just… Please promise me you won’t do that again. You had me worried sick.” Abella shook her head, not once averting her gaze from you as a single tear slipped down her cheek.
Your eyes widened as you look upon Abella’s. Your chest twinged, not out of sympathy, but of understanding. Someone stood beside you all this time, watching your back at your lowest moments, taking care of you at your weakest, bringing you back down to Earth when the will of the gods overpowered you.
Like a stone from the beach, Abella was the one to hold you back from drifting away, towards the unknown beyond the ocean. In it’s stead, a wave of guilt flooded you, though it proved to be a better scenario than the former.
You had to survive. You had to for Abella’s sake.
And with that, you gazed back at her, soft-hearted and anchored, your thumb gliding across her shoulder, your body gently rocking with each step Abella took, back towards the city. Every tower and complex loomed, contaminated with the muffled cries of tortured souls and decrepit monstrosities. But you felt ready and willing to face whatever laid ahead. You were alone no longer.
Compelled to look upon Abella once more, you noticed her face welling, her eyes puffed and cheeks flushed with a rosey red, fighting off any urges to show more emotion. It hurt you to see her this way, but you were going to make it up to her. You knew what had to be done.
“Oh, Abella…” You whisper, an impish smirk appearing from your growing smile. “You know, you look really pretty when you cry.”
Abella chuckled, softly and heartily, droplets of her tears falling onto your wrist. “Oh, only from you, darling.”
“Thank you for being there for me. I don’t know what I would do without you.”