Amidst the raging wind, a ringing sound pierced the cold night, growing louder with each passing second. Venturing out into the dusty storm, the girl heard the thud of something large falling a hundred meters away, resembling the sound of a shipwreck. Could there be survivors? It was this thought that motivated her to go there, despite her own fear.
Pushing through the crimson dust in the silence of the night, she stepped into something liquid, slimy, and cold. For a moment, it seemed like someone's blood, but could it cool down so quickly? Before she could retract her foot, the liquid began to envelop her ankle, rising higher and higher. Paralyzed with fear, the young lady clenched her jaw, feeling her own pulse in her fingertips. No matter what possibilities ran through her mind, none of them seemed right.
Animalistic fear finally commanded her to "run," prompting the girl to flee with all her might, still feeling the viscous and smooth substance swirling on her skin, reaching her neck. "It was a terrible idea!" she exclaimed, tears mixed with dust streaming from her eyes. She was convinced it was just a nightmare, that she was asleep, and when it fully engulfed her, she would wake up. Strangely, her eyes were met with a bright white light. Was this the end? The end of what, her dream or her life altogether? When she stopped squinting, she saw several soldiers aiming their weapons at her. But their faces expressed more fear than hers. It couldn't be a dream; she saw everything vividly, albeit under a bluish filter, but she still couldn't comprehend anything. How could a little girl, in her short period of a terrible life, make it even worse? The first shot rang out, causing her heart to jolt and freeze in an instant. She lowered her head, witnessing her body being completely engulfed in some black substance that held the bullet in front of her chest. "This must be a dream for sure," she whispered, feeling a sudden jolt in her own legs and arms, as if someone controlled them. What happened next, she wouldn't be able to tell anyone so as not to be considered insane. A little 14-year-old girl, guided by an unknown force, tore the four soldiers apart and managed to survive after enduring so many bullets. Standing amidst pools of blood and torn body parts, she collapsed abruptly, leaning her hands against the ground due to a reflexive vomiting.
Darkness engulfed her vision once again, and she no longer felt the alien substance on her skin: she only felt the cold and emptiness inside. Who took a part of her tiny soul? Why was she left behind? Or perhaps, was it still a dream? Her heightened hearing made her realize that someone was standing nearby. Despite all the questions and fears within her, she shouted into the void before her, "Who are you?" There was no response. Amidst the wind's roar, she heard that black liquid again, which had been on her just moments ago. Before she could stand up, her trembling legs filled with fear or exhaustion, she understood that there was no one else around her. Thoughts swarmed her mind. Hallucinations? Dream? Reality? What in the world was it? The shivering in her body reminded her of the cold nights in this location. She needed to go back, but in this case, it was an almost impossible task. Amidst such a storm, the girl could only get even more lost and die from hypothermia. Previously, she could find her refuge by following the voices of similar beings-units-and she had never run so far from home. Could anyone follow her, just as she went towards Can anyone go after her, just as she went towards the sound of the fall? "No," she answered herself, realizing that no one would risk their life for her sheer curiosity. Thanks to her resourcefulness, she began to feel around for the remains of bodies in order to tear off shreds of clothing and somehow warm herself up. Kneeling in a pool of crimson blood, tears and waves of nausea, the girl felt the body parts of those who died by "her" own hand. This thought haunted her, beating anxiously in her head even more intensely than the encroaching cold. But finally, she managed to find more intact fragments of a torso. A warm and armored jacket became a great source of warmth at that moment. The warm clothing wasn't as wide as she would have liked, but it was enough to protect her vital organs, so she sat for a few more minutes before standing up and attempting to orient herself in the direction to return. However, her composure was shattered by the screams that gradually approached her. The vibrations beneath her feet resembled only the sound of military boots marching. The horror chasing her made her feel the rush of adrenaline once again. Knowing what they could do to people like her, especially considering her current condition, she held onto the armored insulation and raced forward, away from everything that was happening.
But before the girl could run more than ten meters, a sharp gunshot rang out. Pain pierced her leg like a burning flame, causing an involuntary scream to escape her mouth, followed by painful cries.And so, she didn't want to die, but with each step approaching her, she realized that it would soon be over, and now, dripping amidst the cold and darkness, she knew it wasn't a dream. Survive at any cost or end her torment? It seemed that her entire life flashed before her eyes. Joyful moments and moments of sorrow were now a gulp of air for her amid the convulsive hysteria before the barrel of death. When the footsteps stopped right next to her, she held her breath, listening for any extraneous sound in front of her. A second shot struck her other leg. The loud cry of a child mixed with the laughter of the soldiers, followed by the first words of one of them, "She's completely blind, she won't put up any re..." His speech was abruptly interrupted by an unknown sound, followed by screams of horror and gunfire. No matter how terrifying those screams were, the young girl had no time for them now.
She was bleeding profusely and could barely move her legs. It was fortunate that no arteries were hit; otherwise, her hemorrhaging would have ended in a very short period. The storm had ended, she thought, trying to calm herself amidst sobs and moans of searing pain in this quiet wasteland. Her eyes gradually closed from helplessness. Above her, an extraordinarily alien voice resounded deafeningly, uttering the last words she would hear: "Don't move."