Itzzaboy
King ForumStalker
Chapter 1: Tipping the scales
Dani awoke with a start. Sweat trailed down his skin as he futilely attempted to fan himself with his hand, only resulting in forcing hot air onto his already searing face.
He looked around, Mother was asleep in the armchair, Aliya was wrapped up in her arms, almost as though she could be snatched away at any moment, and Mother was holding on for dear life. Dani's Mother was 35 years old, although her weathered features made her look far older, cracked lips and greying hair told a story of a life of stress.
Aliya was different. Although slightly skinny for a girl her age, Aliya's face was sunny and rosey cheeked, her cute little nose and gentle nature making her remarkably popular around the townsfolk. She also had the curious ability to see the good and hopeful in any situation.
"Good thing to", thought Dani, "or this place would have chewed her up by now". He rose up from his worn out bed, careful not to wake his mother and sister in the armchair, and crept over to the small basin. It still contained some water, so he took a sip to attempt to replenish some moisture to his body, and while he drank, he thought.
Dani had only ever known one way of life. Scraping by, by any means neccessary, here in the little town of Valeridge. Valeridge was not wealthy, nor was it cheerful, or cosy, or even that hospitable, it was a dump. The town always smelt of stale urine and sickness, due to the many diseases that swarmed around the place, medicene was few and far between, and the personal hygiene of the residents of Valeridge was not particularly high. Crime was never a major issue, but whether that was because it wasn't so frowned upon here, or because the tiny grouping of people that had been given the title of law enforcer didn't care if it did happen, Dani would never know. All he knew was that he needed to do what everyone in Valeridge did on a daily basis to protect his mother and sister.
Survive, and by any means neccessary.
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Aliya slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the filtered sunlight that was peeking through the grimy windows of the house. She noticed that instead of her mother's arms, she was being caressed instead by a weatherbeaten, but well loved, patchwork quilt, made and owned by her mother. Aliya slowly unravelled herself from the thick quilt and looked around.
Dani had already gone out, hunting she supposed. Dani always went and got the food since father had been taken. Aliya still vividly remembered that day, but did not want to spoil such a beautiful day which such reminiscences, so pushed the memory to the back of her mind.
Mother was also gone, left to go to work, earning a pittance working as a medical assistant in the little shack they called the hospital, or what the townspeople called "the Morgue".
Despite the small pay, Aliya loved what her mother did. Despite the lack of supplies, lack of money and sometimes even the lack of the patient's will to live, she always did her best to keep them alive, or let them pass peacefully if nothing more could be done. Aliya wanted to be a doctor when she was older, she wanted to help people, wanted to make Valeridge beautiful again.
"And you will", Aliya thought to herself, "you'll be the best doctor in existence, and no one will be miserable anymore". Determined to prove this point, she skipped out of the house, only just remembering to grab her little grey cardigan, before bouncing out of the front door towards the meadow.
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The rabbit's carcass flopped to the ground before it even realised it was dead.
Dani wiped his dagger with his sleeve before sheathing it and picking up the dead rabbit, examining the clean cut across it's throat. He'd always been good at sneaking up on things, even when he was younger he used to give his Mother and Father scares when he snuck up on them and shouted "Boo!", at which point they would jump out of their skin before laughing heartily at their son.
No more laughs from his Mother anymore, not since Father had been taken.
Dani cleaned the wound with his sleeve before pocketing the rabbit and heading home. He had almost reached the gate when he saw something in the sky. It was like a rock, except it was shining with a bright orange light.
As it got closer, he saw that it was a rock, except it was ignited.
And heading straight for Valeridge.
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Aliya picked the last of her flowers from the meadow. It was a beautiful place, a rare thing in Valeridge with it's pollution. The meadow was a large grassy area just outside of the fence, covered in all sorts of flowers and grasses, even the occasional tree and stream. It was a fantastic place to come when she felt sad, or needed cheering up. Dani always came here to hunt the wild rabbits and birds that inhabited the meadow, as it was their only food source other than what Mother could buy with her wages.
Aliya laid down on the ground, careful not to crush any flowers, maneuvering herself between the two patches of plants and staring into the sky, watching the clouds whimsily drift through the sky.
And that's when she saw it, the burning rock. Slowly at first but accelerating through the sky at an alarming rate. The birds nearby were startled and took off in the opposite direction, screeching and cawing, breaking the silence that had preceeded. The rock plummeted towards the town, and Aliya got up and ran, not away, but towards Valeridge.
Towards her Mother.
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Dani charged towards the town, unhindered at first but soon shoulderbarging past the many people trying the escape the blazing rock headed in their direction. He was being pushed back by the mass, like a guppy trying to fight the tide, and only made steady progress. The main road was swamped with villagers, so Dani ducked out to the right, into an alleyway. He sprinted down the narrow passage and emerged into the street with the hospital. He spotted Aliya just a few meters away shouting at her Mother in the hospital to get out, to run, to flee this disaster.
Dani ran towards Aliya, conscious of the fact that the rock was getting over closer. He reached Aliya just as Mother emerged from the hospital.
Just as the rock crashed into the hospital.
Dani instinctively covered Aliya's eyes with his hands. Witnessing what no child should see to protect his little sister, watching his mother be engulfed and incinerated by the wave of flames, her scream piercing through the air.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dani awoke with a start. Sweat trailed down his skin as he futilely attempted to fan himself with his hand, only resulting in forcing hot air onto his already searing face.
He looked around, Mother was asleep in the armchair, Aliya was wrapped up in her arms, almost as though she could be snatched away at any moment, and Mother was holding on for dear life. Dani's Mother was 35 years old, although her weathered features made her look far older, cracked lips and greying hair told a story of a life of stress.
Aliya was different. Although slightly skinny for a girl her age, Aliya's face was sunny and rosey cheeked, her cute little nose and gentle nature making her remarkably popular around the townsfolk. She also had the curious ability to see the good and hopeful in any situation.
"Good thing to", thought Dani, "or this place would have chewed her up by now". He rose up from his worn out bed, careful not to wake his mother and sister in the armchair, and crept over to the small basin. It still contained some water, so he took a sip to attempt to replenish some moisture to his body, and while he drank, he thought.
Dani had only ever known one way of life. Scraping by, by any means neccessary, here in the little town of Valeridge. Valeridge was not wealthy, nor was it cheerful, or cosy, or even that hospitable, it was a dump. The town always smelt of stale urine and sickness, due to the many diseases that swarmed around the place, medicene was few and far between, and the personal hygiene of the residents of Valeridge was not particularly high. Crime was never a major issue, but whether that was because it wasn't so frowned upon here, or because the tiny grouping of people that had been given the title of law enforcer didn't care if it did happen, Dani would never know. All he knew was that he needed to do what everyone in Valeridge did on a daily basis to protect his mother and sister.
Survive, and by any means neccessary.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Aliya slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the filtered sunlight that was peeking through the grimy windows of the house. She noticed that instead of her mother's arms, she was being caressed instead by a weatherbeaten, but well loved, patchwork quilt, made and owned by her mother. Aliya slowly unravelled herself from the thick quilt and looked around.
Dani had already gone out, hunting she supposed. Dani always went and got the food since father had been taken. Aliya still vividly remembered that day, but did not want to spoil such a beautiful day which such reminiscences, so pushed the memory to the back of her mind.
Mother was also gone, left to go to work, earning a pittance working as a medical assistant in the little shack they called the hospital, or what the townspeople called "the Morgue".
Despite the small pay, Aliya loved what her mother did. Despite the lack of supplies, lack of money and sometimes even the lack of the patient's will to live, she always did her best to keep them alive, or let them pass peacefully if nothing more could be done. Aliya wanted to be a doctor when she was older, she wanted to help people, wanted to make Valeridge beautiful again.
"And you will", Aliya thought to herself, "you'll be the best doctor in existence, and no one will be miserable anymore". Determined to prove this point, she skipped out of the house, only just remembering to grab her little grey cardigan, before bouncing out of the front door towards the meadow.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The rabbit's carcass flopped to the ground before it even realised it was dead.
Dani wiped his dagger with his sleeve before sheathing it and picking up the dead rabbit, examining the clean cut across it's throat. He'd always been good at sneaking up on things, even when he was younger he used to give his Mother and Father scares when he snuck up on them and shouted "Boo!", at which point they would jump out of their skin before laughing heartily at their son.
No more laughs from his Mother anymore, not since Father had been taken.
Dani cleaned the wound with his sleeve before pocketing the rabbit and heading home. He had almost reached the gate when he saw something in the sky. It was like a rock, except it was shining with a bright orange light.
As it got closer, he saw that it was a rock, except it was ignited.
And heading straight for Valeridge.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Aliya picked the last of her flowers from the meadow. It was a beautiful place, a rare thing in Valeridge with it's pollution. The meadow was a large grassy area just outside of the fence, covered in all sorts of flowers and grasses, even the occasional tree and stream. It was a fantastic place to come when she felt sad, or needed cheering up. Dani always came here to hunt the wild rabbits and birds that inhabited the meadow, as it was their only food source other than what Mother could buy with her wages.
Aliya laid down on the ground, careful not to crush any flowers, maneuvering herself between the two patches of plants and staring into the sky, watching the clouds whimsily drift through the sky.
And that's when she saw it, the burning rock. Slowly at first but accelerating through the sky at an alarming rate. The birds nearby were startled and took off in the opposite direction, screeching and cawing, breaking the silence that had preceeded. The rock plummeted towards the town, and Aliya got up and ran, not away, but towards Valeridge.
Towards her Mother.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dani charged towards the town, unhindered at first but soon shoulderbarging past the many people trying the escape the blazing rock headed in their direction. He was being pushed back by the mass, like a guppy trying to fight the tide, and only made steady progress. The main road was swamped with villagers, so Dani ducked out to the right, into an alleyway. He sprinted down the narrow passage and emerged into the street with the hospital. He spotted Aliya just a few meters away shouting at her Mother in the hospital to get out, to run, to flee this disaster.
Dani ran towards Aliya, conscious of the fact that the rock was getting over closer. He reached Aliya just as Mother emerged from the hospital.
Just as the rock crashed into the hospital.
Dani instinctively covered Aliya's eyes with his hands. Witnessing what no child should see to protect his little sister, watching his mother be engulfed and incinerated by the wave of flames, her scream piercing through the air.
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