~ Prologue ~

Everything was dark where she lay.  The sky had gone black except for a few smoky blood-red clouds that still lingered.  She remembered vaguely that stars had formerly lit up the night sky, but now there was no trace of them; they were hidden by the thick smoke of flames and she wondered if she would ever see them again.

Buildings crumbled around her and ashes fell like snow.  She lay in the middle of the street but it was no longer recognizable as such.  The quaint shops, the cottage-like homes were now mere cinders.  The former hustle and bustle of the city had come to a stop; bodies now lined the roads making the stench of death thick and mind-numbing.  The few survivors stood away from her, staring with hatred and pain at the senseless loss of life she had caused; the loss of loved ones who had done nothing to harm her.

A tiny bloodied and bruised hand reached out and began clearing away the debris that lay strewn over her body.  She was dirty and in pain and each breath was a struggle, but still she pressed on.  She attempted to move her other arm to aid in the clearing process, but it had been injured to a point of uselessness.  Every movement, every touch was agony.  She cried out unexpectedly in pain and felt a deeper hurt inside when no one moved to help her.

Dirt and brown-grey pebbles rolled to the ground as she pushed them aside and slowly sat up.  She looked around at the devastation and took in the realization of what she had done.  It almost seemed unreal, impossible even, and she wept uncontrollably for the sorrow she witnessed.

“Why… why didn’t I die?”  She whispered, half to herself, half in hopes someone would answer her question.

Her dirty blood-stained hand smeared tears across her face creating dark smudge marks under her eyes.  She tried to dry her hand on her clothes, but they were in tatters, torn by the wreckage that fell on her earlier.

“WHY?”  She screamed, angered sobs choking her.  Her frail body shook as she attempted to stand to face what had happened.

One of the distant figures began inching closer to her.  She couldn’t make out his face yet she knew instantly who it was.  It was comforting to know he was okay; he was the only thing left that still mattered to her.

“Shh, please don’t cry, it’s going to be okay.”  His words pleaded with her for understanding.  He knew it wasn’t her fault and yet she would be held responsible.  He raised a hand to touch her face but she swatted it away.  Comfort was the last thing she needed, the last thing she deserved.  She wished things could have been different.  A week ago everything was perfect, but now it was ruined, and she was the cause.

She stared past him and tried to focus her eyes on the people standing out of sight.  They had begun walking away, leaving behind the tragedy.  She shakily stepped forward thinking that if she could stop them, she might be able to make them understand.  They disappeared into the fog-like smoke sending stabbing pain in her chest.  She collapsed to the ground whimpering and moaning in pain.  She had never felt so helpless and alone and wondered once again why it was she didn’t die.  She should have died, she was supposed to die.  If she had died then she wouldn’t feel any of the hurt she felt now.

The city was now only a shadow of its former self.  She had single-handedly removed all life from it and now it sat there, dead, like she felt inside.

“Oh God,” she whispered, “What have I done?”

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Author’s Note: This story is completed but in the editing process.  Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed.  For those reading for the first time, I hope you enjoy =)

~Katie~