Re: The Saga of Traitor and Betrayed

by **Juliana** on Sat Sep 11, 2010 9:52 am

Chapter 14

They had arrived in a war zone.

The devastation reminded Juliana of images she had seen of cities that had been bombed and bombed again and again for months or years on end. Cities that had been rolled over by tanks. Cities that had been crushed beneath armies. But this was worse, because despite its ruined state, Juliana was hauntingly aware of the fact that it was her home. Even just off the train, she could see that one pile of crumbled mortar and twisted steel had once been a coffee shop she had liked but had rarely been able to visit. Now she would never get the chance again--

I'm sorry... this part is very hard for me to tell. A moment...

All right. As I was saying, Juliana and Vance observed the destroyed city from the relatively untouched hovertrain platform. It was utterly abandoned. Chillingly, there was no sign of life, nor even any bodies visible. “What happened?” mumbled Juliana, far more shocked than she had expected to be. “Why are there no people?”

Vance didn't answer, glaring out over the ruins. A few moments ticked by, before the rest of the group that had come with them emerged from the train.

"Let's split up and search in pairs," declared a woman Juliana didn't know. The idea was approved in a whirlwind--strange that it hadn't been already decided, Juliana thought--and they divided accordingly. Igniting their swords, Juliana and Vance set off, the Tibattleonian woman leading the way.

Within minutes, they were so far removed from the other pairs that it was as if they were the only living things left in existance. Trying to ignore this chilling feeling, Juliana focused on finding the routes back towards the hospital and her home. This was tricky thanks to the unpredictably ruined state of the place, a fact for which Juliana was grateful: it was easier to keep going if her mind was occupied with the task of navigating obstacles and finding alternate routes if her first choice happened to be blocked.

After what was probably less time than it felt like, the still-standing hospital came into sight. Standing at exactly the vantage point she had had in her dream, the young woman realized all over again that what she had dreamed, had indeed happened. The view was full of crashed, burned cars and crumbled buildings. That the hospital itself stood puzzled her; had the aliens simply not cared enough?

"Where are we?" Vance inquired, looking around.

Juliana shook herself out of her reverie. "The hospital," she replied. "If there are any survivors or bodies left at all, this is the first place I'd think they'd be."

Cautuiously, in case the building was unstable, they entered. In sharp contrast to Juliana's dream, the lobby was entirely empty of anyone, living or dead. There were clear scorches on the walls and furniture, but no sign of life.

"We'd better stick together," she cautioned. "It wouldn't be safe to be caught somewhere alone if something happens."

That decided, the pair headed for the nearest hall. It was the one down which Juliana knew her father had died. She had to force herself to stay calm and check every room along the way. It was strange; they found no one in any of the patients' rooms or operating rooms. Finally they came to the operating room she had seen in her dream.

Here, it was evident, was the only place they had come to so far where a human had put up any kind of fight. Dead monsters were strewn around the room in a circle. Right in the middle of the carnage, the limp body of Juliana's father lay facedown in a puddle of blood...