The set of stairs stared back at me. A long corridor in a depressing angle. It was rather depressing if you think about it. Cobwebs grew in crevices on the walls. I stared into a deep (yet shallow) abyss. Was Basil down there? She had to be; I saw her go down there. But I couldn't hear a sound from the basement. The lights were off, so she couldn't see...
All of a sudden, it happened. It was fast and unexpected and it all happened in a matter of seconds. Ear-piercing crashes filled the house. I turned around and saw in a split-second what I had earlier feared: the campaign. The windows shattered as torches flew through them. A group of men burst through the door with angry expressions. Their faces held a message: "You were warned." One of the men pushed me down the stairs and locked the door.
I eventually reached the bottom of the steps, although I was bloody and bruised. I could hear Raven from the top of the stairs. I couldn't see anything, though. I screamed for Basil. Perhaps she could help me. And herself...
A light flickered on and I immediately saw Basil - her face hollow and gaunt. She looked horrific. Basil fell to the ground. I rushed to her side and immediately drew back. Her body didn't feel...human. It was hollow and light, like a snakeskin. Perhaps she came down here to shed... I brushed off that thought and wondered if she was dead. She had to be...
The smoke was starting to suffocate me by this point and I knew I would choke to death soon if I didn't get out of here soon. The struggle upstairs must have moved to the forest outside, as I could no longer hear anything. Or... They hadn't killed Raven, had they? I had two reasons to leave the house immediately. It wasn't until I started to climb the steps that I truly realized how injured I was.
I must have had multiple broken bones, not to mention that I was bleeding heavily from several places on my body. I was covered in blood, and the floor was too. I had to get help. I crawled up the steps slowly and reached for the doorknob. It was locked. I cursed the government. Not only were they destroying villages, they were purposefully stealing the lives of their residents!
I breathed heavily - I could almost feel the ash lining my lungs. I seized all the power I could and bashed my shoulder against the door. One two three four five six seven eight nine tries and the cracked door yielded. Now I was out of the pan and into the fire. I still had to make it out of the house. Fire greeted me like an old friend as soon as I peeked out the new opening. I mustered up strength and headed through.
I felt myself burning. I made it to the door. Perhaps it was just an opening created by the flame, but I took it anyway. The forest offered no respite - it was burning as well. I couldn't make it. Pain overtook me and I fell into darkness.
Moments later, or either days later, my eyes opened to the sight of Raven. We were on a carriage, and we rode through the night. "Did you...save me?" I let out a cough. Everything hurt - no, burned - as I moved. Raven nodded. I mustered up the strength to file another inquiry. "And did Basil...die?"
"Yes. And no. I don't think that was Basil after all. I've received a letter telling me to go to a certain sector."
"More travel?" I tried to fake a grin. I must have fallen asleep, now content.
The next time I awoke I was in a strange building. Raven said it was a "hospital." They did something over the course of a few days to rejuvenate me. I felt completely normal afterwards, albeit a bit drowsy. We set out again to Basil's house. Or were we? I'm not very sure anymore. Will this person be Basil? I was doubtful. Basil was becoming more and more a myth with every passing moment. Had I noticed her before my return to the village? No. Perhaps she was an illusion conjured up by my mind wishing for my little village to not be all gone.
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