if i die tomorrow - permanent hiatus

water

     The sun crept its treacherous way across the sky one more time, dragging with it yet another day, under the horizon line and out of my reach.

     Suddenly Sadie's hand grabbed my arm, drawing closer to me. I turned around, catching a glimpse of her wide eyes, a glimmer of surprise and fear passing through their glassy surface.

     Before I could inquire, she jerked me sharply, twisting to the side and I stumbled, a shocked yelp lodging itself in my throat.

     The next thing I knew, an arrow was sticking out of the trunk of the tree, right where my head had been a few heartbeats ago.

     "Ambush." She said tersely. As though I hadn't noticed. I drew my sword, cursing myself. I should have known, should have sensed the presence of a horde of monsters before Sadie did.

     I dodged another arrow and the first of the monsters made it up the hill, revealing just how many there were. 

     Pair after pair of eyes, fixed on me with burning malice. Monsters of all types and sizes closed in on us, an ocean of bodies and heads and gleaming weapons mirroring the dying sun.

     This was not good. We had been lucky so far, darting across attacks and fleeing before I could get caught up in the hurricane of battle. But this was a full-on ambush, and the sheer number was unescapable. I couldn't get out of this just by running.

     I flicked my head to Sadie, and she stepped closer to me, my sword raised in defense. 

     This was not good.

     A collective shriek rose into the dusk air as the monsters charged, knowing that they had me cornered now, the surge of numbers overwhelming my senses. 

     I had to blindly trust Sadie to take care of herself at this moment. My eyes focused to the maximum as I sprinted forwards, breaking into their ranks and initiating the hopeless battle.

     It was a blur. I didn't quite remember what exactly I did, how many times another wound tore open my skin. All I could see was red. An ocean of red. A mist of red. A flood of red.

     Then the next thing I knew, I was standing in a sea of bodies, my limp hands shaking badly as I sheathed my sword.

     Night had truly fallen by now, moonlight setting the pools of rapidly drying blood awash with silver. I idly wiped at the crimson on my mouth.

     I closed my eyes, blocking out the sight of all those bodies, all the death, a lone tree standing on a field of destruction.

     "You okay?" I murmured. I didn't care, couldn't bring myself to care in that moment that I was speaking, my voice ringing out in the sudden silence.

     "You--"

     I turned around. She was on the ground, staring at my back. A gash ran across her cheeks. 

     "It's not as though you've never heard my voice before." This was the first time I acknowledged last night. "Are you badly hurt?"

     She shook her head, her eyes ablaze with starlight.

     "Then let's set camp." I coughed, and before she could see the flecks of fresh blood on my hand, I wiped them on my trousers and offered the other hand to her.

     She narrowed her eyes and took it, staggering slightly as she got to her feet, wincing as she gingerly touched her face.

     I replayed the feeling of her hand in mine as I set up camp, into the cover of yet another cluster of trees resting by the shores of Lake Hylia at twilight, the waves dusted in moonlight lapping at the shifting white sands by our feet.