Beyond All Doubt (In watty awards 2011!)

How could they?

I stare out onto the village I once used to call home and watch the people I love destroy it, they were a blur in my vision as if my mind hadn't come to terms with the distraught before my eyes. I stand up on top of the hill where once the presidents house use to be, searching out into the village for my home the one I so wanted to be at. Though as my eyes catch the stream of markets outside my house I can tell that there was no hope, the area of where my house once use to be held is contaminated with flames and everything that once use to be there was now gone in the breeze. The feel of a slight tug on my arm snaps me out of my grief of losing my parents for the second time in a few days, my heart couldn't bare the pain of it any more and my mind registered this was the end.

I look up at Daniel to see his face is masked with grief; just like mine. He takes my hand and pulls me near, I don't repeal against it the comfort was nice and the feel of stability was strengthening me back into action. I loved my parents, but if they were here they would tell me to run and hide, be safe; they wouldn't want me to die out of grief and anger. After all, I was use to my love ones dying this was Kingston after all; people die everyday – people that I know and loved. This was no different from them days, I had to survive and as I feel Daniels shoulders sagging under my weight, I know I have to take him with me. I hated him, but his grief was as bad as mine and he would never be able to survive during a war like this; I had to take him, keep him safe because I couldn't watch another person in my life die no matter how much I despised them.

As I pull away from Daniel I try and figure out a plan in my head, trying to think of how to get us out of the war that has destroyed both of our families. My body craves to go down there and fight against them just because they have taken away the people I love most, though another part of me wants to fight with them; to rebel against the president and his excruciating ways. I shake these thoughts from my mind I needed to save Daniel and I have a feeling the reason this war was still going on was because Daniel was still alive. “We need to go, now!” I say to Daniel turning away from his face that is itched with sadness, I swallow down my own pain as my mind forms a plan.

“Go where Georgia? Are you to blind to see through your grief that the whole village is alight?” I swallow back my comment and turn to his face, I could hear the shouts of rage begin to boil closer towards us and with every step the plan was starting to fade. I try to remember back to my geography lessons and where the closets place was – Hamlon, it was far east if I remember rightly, maybe a half hour run at the most. It was a plan but are biggest down fall was the wired fence around the village, everyone had them to keep people from wandering, it was at least eleven feet high and hard to get across.

I push the thought out of my mind we will deal with it when it becomes a obstacle, right now we had to move before they came any closer. I take Daniels hand in mine and begin to drag him along at a full frontal run, it was hard, Daniel wasn't use to the speed and that made it difficult for us both, I could hear the roars of the villagers anger and a shiver runs down my spine as the though 'we're not going to make it' replays in my head over and over again. As much as Daniel repeals against it I run faster and faster, trying to push us as far away as possible we were near now I was sure of it. I take a detour and hope that it would take us to the fence, I push on even though I can feel Daniel begin to slow I never let go of him though just keep running as far as I possibly can, and as I round the corner I can see the fence surrounding the village it was about a ten minute run, though the steep hill was going to be a difficulty. I don't stop or hesitate; we didn't have time we needed to get to that fence and get over it as fast as we could.

Half way up the hill Daniel releases his hand from my sweaty grip I turn towards him, he had his hands on his knees and his breath was rigid. “Daniel we need to move! Their coming!” I hiss at him. The villagers were not far behind and soon they would catch up with us. I see the tiniest shake of Daniels head before he drops to his knees in exhaustion, I close my eyes and hope for a miracle because we were not going to be going anywhere soon, but I knew there was nothing to be done they were right on our heels now and as to prove my point the footsteps were closer than ever. But in the raw intense moment my body begins to tremble and in the act of the moment I drag Daniel by his arms to the closest bush, and hold my hand over his mouth to hush his breaths. Not long after their standing in front of us and I hold my breath scared they will find us. I see many faces I know and a tear escapes my eyes, a man is pushed roughly and as he turns around a jolt of happiness runs through me; it was my father! Though as I study him closely my heart falters he was drenched in his own blood.

“Shout her name!” Peter roars to my father. Peter was the local nut case, he was an alcoholic to say the least and everyone feared him. MY father whimpers as the blow of a cane and I feel my body begin to run to his aid, but the feel of Daniels weight over me stops me, he shakes his head lightly and my body wants to protest and rage against him but he was right I couldn't go out there and blow our cover and I had a feeling Peter was on about me, but why would he want me? “Shout it!” Peter says again as he hits my father again. After a few moments of silence I hear the soft and familiar sound of my fathers voice as he shouts out my name and my body shivers at the sound of pain in his voice. “Again!” Peter shouts. I wait for my name to be said again but it doesn't come. “Please just leave her alone! She doesn't know! None of us did – it isn't her fault!” My eyes snap open at what my father had just said, what didn't I know? “She belongs to him! She is one of them! It runs in her filthy blood!” I feel Daniels body tense and I felt the need to scream at him, he knew something …. he defiantly knew something. “Now silence! Call her I have had enough of this nonsense!” I watch as my fathers face crumples under Peter’s demands. “No!” Says my father and I wish he hadn't, why couldn't he do what Peter says? “What was that?” Peter asks in a snarl. I said “No” and before I can do or say anything my father falls to the ground with his eyes rolled back with a knife in-beaded his chest.