An Inch Of Infinity (Short Version)

CHAPTER 21~After All of the World Went Away

 It seemed to last for hours, though in reality it was maybe a little more than one minute. There was a bright, blinding light. And the where screams from every direction. I didn't even think. I shielded Coral and Emma from flying shrapnel. as much as I could at least.

I joined the screaming as I was hit in the leg, shoulder, and back with flaming hot shrapnel. I couldn't stand and I fell to my knees. All around me were flames. People pulling others from the rubble, people being hit with flying debris, children crying, screaming, it all became a blur.

We had set out as settlers and self liberators, now we are survivors. Weak as an infant, I fell to the splintered deck, my head bouncing. It's kinda funny, I couldn't feel the pain. I was just aware of it. Light danced and all the sound seemed to be submerged in water. Only one sound stood out above all the rest. Emma's screams. I failed to protect her. I failed her. Then it all went black

I woke up on a straw mat in a hospital room. A nurse pulled a needle from my arm and I winced. I hate, no, I loath needles. I couldn't tell you why, I just always have.

She refreshed my memory, checked me up, and shooed me away. I wandered around. I found Coral on a mat much like mine. She was about to be woken up. I watched the nurse stick a needle into her arm. She stood up and pushed the nurse away in one fluid motion. She pulled the needle out of her arm, then stopped, remembering where she was, and why.

"What the heck,"she gasped out " just happened?" the nurse stood up and brushed herself off. I didn't know what to say, not to rub it in but I did save her, and I felt like it would seem self-centered if I told her. Luckily, it was the nurse who spoke up.

"The royals bombd us. There were over 300 casualties. Your friend here got a piece of shrapnel straight through her calf and many are in her flesh above her waist. You and a little girl in urgent care might have died if it weren't for her."

At the mention of 'a little girl' my thoughts belong to only one single person, a person in urgent care. A person who wouldn't be there is I had done what I was supposed to do.

"Emma!"I scream and then I demanded where the urgent care room was.

I raced down the hallway, pushing past guards and doctors and even the injured and wounded. When I reached the room, I hesitated. Was I ready for this? Am I ready for this? Slowly I open the door. Maybe 20 people are spread out across the floor mats and in strung up hammocks. It's scary to say the least.

Nearby me a young boy, around 7 years old is lying still, his eyes open, and they follow me, but they can not see me. He has gashes across his bare chest and doctors are working hard to stitch him up. Nasty.

Probably 4 feet away, an old woman's resting in a hamic, she seems relaxed despite the fact that she doesn't have a right leg. She also watches me, but unlike the little boy, her eyes lock with mine, knowingly. I look away from the old woman, and that's when I see her. Emma.

She is on a red mat, and I hardly recognise her. Her upper head is wrapped in bandages and her face is twisted in pain. A nurse is applying ointment to cuts and scrapes up and down her limbs. Her calf is wrapped in a white cast, with a big red stain in the middle. She looked pale and weak, and innocent. I could have saved her from this pain, I should have saved her.

"You got out of here fast, good to see the minor surgery healed you. Don't worry, your sister will be just fine all thanks to you." The nurse had caught me watching.

"She is not my sister, we, well, we're close friends " I stutter. The nurse doesn't even seem to notice, but she goes back to applying ointment. Emma's Leg looks really bad. I opened my mouth to say something, but I don't know what to say.

By then the guards catch up and lead me away, and I don't object. On my way out I see something I hadn't noticed before. The entire hallway was lined with bags of all sizes, all plastic, all black, all sizes, and all of them are shaped like a human.