Setting
INK
Flames crackled into the night sky, seeming to eat at the stars and blackness above. Sparks flew as, little by little, the building began to fall. Somewhere in the warehouse, grass shattered under pressure and emitted a loud piercing noise, but despite its loud protest, the shattering of the glass was barely heard over the roar of the fire and responding groaning of the dying building. Amunet watched for hours as the warehouse slowly disappeared, turning into ash and blowing away. No one came to stop it. After all, the warehouse had already been secluded, but now that millions of people had died, the rest of them probably had other problems to take care of then a fire out of the city limits. She wasn't worried either. She knew the fire would not spread. She had spent hours and hours throughout the day cutting down surrounding weeds enough to where the fire could not catch onto anything else dry and spread farther.
So, there she stood, close enough to the flames for the heat to sear the tears off of her cheeks. She thought back to when she and her sister had first gotten sick. They had struggled and struggled and finally found shelter in this abandoned warehouse in the middle-of-nowhere. They were too weak to take care of themselves or each other, so for days, they had starved, cuddling up to each other for warmth and comfort. Finally, they both went unconscious. It was a relief, a chance to rest in their discomfort. When they woke again, Amunet had felt strong enough to search for food. She found enough to feed the two of them, barely, and gave most of the food to Isis, in hopes she would start to get stronger too...
But as Amunet's strength slowly returned, Isis' slowly disappeared. It was as if there was only enough strength left between them for one person to live, and that energy was being fed into Amunet. Finally, after a long struggle, length of time unknown, Isis called Amunet to her side. Amunet knelt beside her and offered her hand. Isis tugged at it weakly, her fingers barely strong enough to hold on, and Amunet knelt forward. Isis kissed her forehead and whispered into her ear...I love you...Her last breathy sigh sounded before Amunet even had time to pull back and look into her face.
She began to shake, her face an void of emotion. Tears began to spill silently down her cheeks as she pulled Isis into her lap. Clutching the cold body to her chest, she began to rock back and forth, back and forth. Finally, she found her voice, and a pained, horrible moan erupted from behind her lips. She couldn't stop, the tears or the moaning or the rocking, and every sound of her movement echoed throughout the empty warehouse, mocking her. She cried and wept and mourned over the dead body of her sister for two days, and one the third day, she looked down into her twin's peaceful face and stood. Deadened, she had gone about preparing the warehouse for burn.
Now, as she looked on, her tears were silent. Subconsciously, she began to sing an Egyptian lullaby the two of them had cherished from the recesses of their memories. She sang gently, interrupted every once and a while by the hiccups of her sobs. Her sister was burning with the warehouse, burning on her own funeral pyre, as royal as any queen. When the building finished burning, her ashes would be blown by the wind, carrying her to the lands they could never visit and to the people they could never see together. Then, at last, the ashes would be blown back, so her beautiful twin sister could watch over her in death.
Amunet stood their until it was done, until not even a single burning ember was left. Then, she calmly wiped the tears away from her face. She couldn't be weak anymore. If there was only enough strength in between the two of them for one person, she would be stronger and better. She would be her sister. Reaching down, she snatched up the golden staff, the only thing left from her family, and she walked away. She may have a long way to go, but she was going to destroy the murderers of the world. They would pay for what they had done.
So, there she stood, close enough to the flames for the heat to sear the tears off of her cheeks. She thought back to when she and her sister had first gotten sick. They had struggled and struggled and finally found shelter in this abandoned warehouse in the middle-of-nowhere. They were too weak to take care of themselves or each other, so for days, they had starved, cuddling up to each other for warmth and comfort. Finally, they both went unconscious. It was a relief, a chance to rest in their discomfort. When they woke again, Amunet had felt strong enough to search for food. She found enough to feed the two of them, barely, and gave most of the food to Isis, in hopes she would start to get stronger too...
But as Amunet's strength slowly returned, Isis' slowly disappeared. It was as if there was only enough strength left between them for one person to live, and that energy was being fed into Amunet. Finally, after a long struggle, length of time unknown, Isis called Amunet to her side. Amunet knelt beside her and offered her hand. Isis tugged at it weakly, her fingers barely strong enough to hold on, and Amunet knelt forward. Isis kissed her forehead and whispered into her ear...I love you...Her last breathy sigh sounded before Amunet even had time to pull back and look into her face.
She began to shake, her face an void of emotion. Tears began to spill silently down her cheeks as she pulled Isis into her lap. Clutching the cold body to her chest, she began to rock back and forth, back and forth. Finally, she found her voice, and a pained, horrible moan erupted from behind her lips. She couldn't stop, the tears or the moaning or the rocking, and every sound of her movement echoed throughout the empty warehouse, mocking her. She cried and wept and mourned over the dead body of her sister for two days, and one the third day, she looked down into her twin's peaceful face and stood. Deadened, she had gone about preparing the warehouse for burn.
Now, as she looked on, her tears were silent. Subconsciously, she began to sing an Egyptian lullaby the two of them had cherished from the recesses of their memories. She sang gently, interrupted every once and a while by the hiccups of her sobs. Her sister was burning with the warehouse, burning on her own funeral pyre, as royal as any queen. When the building finished burning, her ashes would be blown by the wind, carrying her to the lands they could never visit and to the people they could never see together. Then, at last, the ashes would be blown back, so her beautiful twin sister could watch over her in death.
Amunet stood their until it was done, until not even a single burning ember was left. Then, she calmly wiped the tears away from her face. She couldn't be weak anymore. If there was only enough strength in between the two of them for one person, she would be stronger and better. She would be her sister. Reaching down, she snatched up the golden staff, the only thing left from her family, and she walked away. She may have a long way to go, but she was going to destroy the murderers of the world. They would pay for what they had done.