The eldritch wail of the sirens warning of incoming bombs screamed in our ears. Bombs whistling as they plummeted down from the upper reach of the atmosphere. The building shuddered, windows rattling as they exploded on impact.
Peering through the dust and debris, I clutched the children close huddling in the remaining corner of a of an old brick house. I could hear people screaming in the streets. I bowed my head tucking the children protectively into the curve of my body.
War; no matter when, no matter how, no matter why or by whom is ugly. Wholesale destruction that rips apart humanity, lives and civilisation, we the survivors of this moment lost in the brutal turmoil hoping that we will still have our lives on the other side of this bombardment. Scars rip through minds, hearts and bodies and no-one is untouched.
The children whimpered in my arms. I had no idea who they belonged too; I just dragged them from the open street when the siren started to wail. When things calmed down I would take them to Sister Berenice at the church orphanage.
“ Hsssh, hssh, hsssh” I allowed the sound to quieten the children.
Something was different this time I could hear a screaming roar building up as a sonic vibration shook my body. I looked upwards and saw hundreds of burning lights falling through the atmosphere.
Fear clutched at my throat. Those who had been bombarding us were coming in to land. Finally we would see the enemy. The impossible ships shook the ground as they landed. I frantically looked around for a better hiding place. I needed to get the children to safety. I edged along the wall pulling the children with me.
“Hsssh, Hsssh, quietly come, come. “ I whispered
There were some stairs to the underground nearby; keeping low I scuttled with the children into the darkness. Eyes level with the ground I peered out. Through the broken buildings I could see the airships opening like petals, large bodies exploding like pollen into the dry desert air.
They were giants that came from the sky, carapaced in gleaming armour, throwing light as the sun struck the planes and angles of these monstrous invaders. The children whimpered. “Hsssh, hsssh”. I breathed under my breath. As the invaders marched through the city I saw them shooting people in the street.
Suddenly I was grabbed by the scruff and hauled upwards into the air. A scream locked in my throat as I dangled in the grip of an armoured monster. Then I was thrown into a moving cage, the children flung in after me. Fear filled my heart as I looked at the others in the cart. I gathered the children to me, eyes frantically darting around.
When the cage was filled and no more of our people could fit, the cage turned back towards the ships. The cage was lifted into one of the ships along with other cages filled with my people. When the area was completely filled up the petals of the ship closed and we were disconnected removed from our land. Pressure built up as the ship took off.
I could smell the fear we knew we were facing death or slavery. If war is ugly, slavery is vile but to some everything is a commodity.
