Leo opened his eyes to the sunlight pouring in through the broken window. He blinked to try to steady his vision. His head was throbbing as he raised himself to a sitting position. The house was empty—shards of glass on the floor, dust in the air. He looked at the wall in front of him with no expression as memories of the previous night began to seep in.
The front door was still ajar, letting in the cold air. He shivered and reached for a cookie from the counter. As he went out into the night, he turned back at the broken window. The fence surrounding the yard had been breached in several spots. Beyond it, the village was quiet, lifeless, and promise-less.
Leo walked down the quiet street. His knuckles cracked one by one from habit. The cold wind blew his hair into his face, and he did not bother to adjust it. He came to a house with freshly cut grass. There was a loaf of bread untouched before the door.
"Granny Theresa?" he called.
Nobody responded. The silence did not break.
The open kitchen window drew his notice. The smell of cinnamon wafted from within. Leo raised the window and entered. There was a loaf of bread smothered in cinnamon on the counter. This was the work of Theresa.
"Anyone home?" he asked, moving through the house.
Every door was open. Clothes, equipment, and other household items littered the floor. Even the closets had been emptied. Leo went out through the front door and left the premises.
He walked on, head down, counting his footsteps. On his right was the village farmer's market. It was usually bustling with life, but now everything was in stasis, the bells motionless above the overturned stalls.
"Is there anyone here?" he asked as he entered.
Dirt kicked up, damaged stands, and bodies choked the market. He traversed the aisle unphased, his eyes drifting back to the ground.
The cry came from a distant building near the marketplace.
Leo sprinted towards it. The ground was irregular, littered with debris, but he didn't let up.
"Where are you?!" he yelled.
Another cry was answered. He pushed forward, his breathing ragged, almost stumbling before coming to a halt.
"Please. get me out of here," the man moaned.
An older man was pinned down by two toppled wooden pillars. Leo picked up one of them. It didn't move. Splinters dug into his skin.
"I'm going to help you," Leo said. "Just hang in there."
He changed his mind and attempted to pull the man by the waist. That did not work either.
"I'm not strong enough," Leo yelled.
"Then step back."
Leo stumbled backward and turned.
"Do not be alarmed," said the man. "This is my duty."
Leo boxed him around in a circle without ever taking his eyes off him. He moved aside and the man grasped the pillars in both his hands and threw them aside. He easily picked up the injured man and placed him over his shoulder and pointed down the road.
"Go that way. You can see the carriages and the armor-clad men. They are there to assist you." He turned and marched away.
"Who are you?" Leo asked.
The man didn't slow.
As he watched him walk away, Leo saw the metal armor decorated with a blue painted sign on the man's back.
'The Authority…' he whispered.
Leo left the market, confusion closing in around him. Neighborhood houses were like his, with broken fences, smashed doors and windows, nothing stirring but the flies the village had come to loathe. He walked towards the viewing area in his road, which was higher up in the mountainside than the village.
He made his way to the edge, coming within a few feet of the guardrail.
In this instance, the destruction extended as far as the houses, thinning out as it went further. He attempted to peer directly underneath his house. Nothing was left. In the dirt below, a worn imprint indicated his mother's fall, with several others scattered around it. Leo slowly let out a breath and walked away.
As he proceeded on the road, the clanking of metals reached his ears. Carriages appeared on the horizon, with armored soldiers marching alongside them. The soldiers dispersed as they passed through the houses, assigning two to each. Taken by surprise, Leo retreated towards the tree line.
"You looking for something, son?"
A massive hand closed around his shoulder.
Leo turned to find a tall figure in shining silver armor, with blond hair streaming from underneath his helmet. He didn't reply.
The man released him in a breath and moved back. Leo adjusted his shirt.
"What's your name?" asked the man.
Leo's teeth chattered as he cracked his knuckles again. In the background, a carriage pulled up, accompanied by two huge horses. Dust rose as it stopped. "What's going on, boy?" The man knelt. Leo slid backwards, cautious. He could sense another figure emerging in his peripheral vision. This one was bigger, heavier, with feet pounding the ground. The first man stiffened.
"Just wait here a moment." The blonde man stopped up, walking towards the other man.
The two began talking in hushed voices, Leo wasn't able to hear a word of their conversation. His heart started beating faster. He looked left and right down the road. Chalk marks appeared on doors as the armored men moved down the street, some symbols neat, others rushed. Some men spoke only when spoken to. Others never waited for permission. Leo looked at Theresa's home, a blanket was folded and set aside, still damp from the night air.
"I'll handle this…" The first man nodded his head. He turned and went down the road.
"How are you holding up?" Asked the large man as he walked toward Leo.
Leo gazed up at him. This one wasn't wearing a helmet. The man appeared masculine, dark brown hair slicked back. The man wore a different uniform than the others, his was silver but had a golden trim around the outsides of the pieces. His sword was much longer than the others, it had a noticeably improved hilt as well. The man had a noble and intimidating effect on him. Leo's muscles relaxed as he slowly got up.
"Where is everyone?"
"They're all on their way to Solarium, we didn't think there'd be anyone else." The man reached his hand out. "I am Beowulf."
Leonidas grabbed his hand, he was pulled up quickly. He worried his wrist may break.
"And you are?" He said as he let go, grabbing a piece of paper and feather from his satchel.
Leo shook off the pain from the grip.
"I'm Leo." He looked down the road, in the direction of his home. "Leonidas Valerian."
The man dipped the feather into his satchel then wrote on the paper.
"Dammit." He drew a line through the paper. "Could you say it again?"
"Leonidas… V-Valerian."
Leo looked at the man, trying to remember where he had seen him before. The man held a very familiar face, one that gave Leo a sense of hope.
"How young are you?" He said as he wrote Leo's name.
"I'm fourteen in two months." Leo wiped his nose with his sleeve.
The weather became warmer, the sky brightening. The air smelled like fresh earth, as if nothing had happened.
"Well it's a pleasure meeting you, Leon." He smiled. "Soon you'll be with all your old folks, I'll make sure of it."
"Does that mean I will go to Solarium too?"
"Those are our orders, this town is undergoing abandonment now." He put his arm around Leo, walking with him to the carriage.
Beowulf stopped and signaled Leo to continue to the carriage, there were men positioned around the carriage. Each time he stepped toward the road leading home, someone gently but firmly redirected him. When Leo got to the carriage, a man unlocked it and stepped aside. Leo stepped into the carriage, no one telling him where to sit or what to do. He sat in the back corner, in the darkness. After a while, Leo drifted off into sleep.