Bullets whizzed by, not a moment when the sky wasn't filled with burning ashes and smoke. Yells of pain and death echoed in the ears of the few unfortunate survivors who lived to hear it. A life of misery and suffering, that is the destiny of a fighter, to live and die.
"What a cruel world" A strained silent voice muttered.
The person sat with her back to a broken boulder, her hand gripping her bloody hip, letting out short winces of pain. Her eyes were dizzy, she couldn't focus, she was losing blood. Her teeth gritted, her body fell to the side as her dirty and scarred cheek rested on the burnt ground.
A short whimper left her as she asked "Why can't I live happily? Have a proper life?...Why?"
Her body was soon laying in a lake of blood, both her own and from her comrades she once called friends. Her other hand, missing two fingers covered her mouth as her eyes closed. She gulped, knowing she would probably not take another breath in this life.
"Please, wake me up from this nightmare"
In her last moments, time slowed down, and now, she could see her whole life, from the beginning. How she got to this place, why she is here, who is she. She knows it, and her brain has decided it's time to relive it.
Nine years ago, a young woman, barely an adult, smoked a half burnt cigarette, her hand hanging by her side. She sat on a small rock in a desolate place, only a few shitty houses nearby. The cigarette soon went out, leaving the woman with nothing.
As she finished she heard a groan nearby. She glanced down, seeing a beaten and bruised man, his hands burnt like they were in an iron. Her cigarette was tightly gripped in her hand as she stood up.
Her head tilted as she crouched down to him, her grip on the cigarette loosening slightly. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him thoughtfully, only a single thought in her mind. Her other hand pulled his head up to look at her.
"Lose a fight?" She asked bluntly.
He groaned in response, mumbling "Mmmmmm"
She pinched the burnt out cigarette between her fingers for a few moments. She let out a sigh before reaching the cigarette down. She had a calm expression as she slipped the smoke stick between his cut lips.
She patted his cheek as she said condescendingly "There ya go, enjoy your cancer fumes"
She stood up calmly stretching her arm over her head. Her eyes, unnaturally purple, looked to the side. She let out a whistle before walking away, looking for any kind of distraction. The previous one was good, but it wasn't rare to see beat up people in the streets.
She held her hand under her hair, the silky yet greasy hair dripped between her fingers. She let out a short groan as it tickled her neck, it covered her whole nape. It was curly at the edges, but straight along the sides and top.
She muttered "I need to get this cut" Flicking the end of the greasy locks.
There are no proper barbers or hairdressers in the town and nearby. She only knew one way to get it cut, that was to do it herself. For that she needed to borrow a knife, it was inefficient, but it could cut her hair.
She stopped in place before turning to one shabby hut, its material was old and crumbled. The door was wooden but sturdy, almost completely stuck to the wall. The doorstep was dirty and cracked, though it still worked well enough.
She stood in front of the doorway before knocking several times on the door, her foot tapping swiftly on the ground. She placed her hands in her pockets calmly as she swung side to side. Her right foot moved forward to tap on the door a few times.
She took a step away as she sighed to herself, her feet no longer tapping and instead her hands placed on her hips. Her head tilted as she stared at for a few more seconds, a thoughtful expression on her face as she faced the door.
She swung her arms up with a sigh before going around the back of the house, slipping past all the long grass that's never cut. As she reached the back she saw a window into a kitchen, the glass blurry and nearly impossible to see through.
She landed in front of the back door, the bottom of it was missing and despite having a nice pattern, it was diluted to the point it looks awful. She grabbed the handle with her left hand and placed her elbow on the door.
She gave it a strong push before it opened wide, she walked in calmly as her left hand left the handle and landed on her hip. She stared forward at a man standing with water dripping from his face, his head above his sink.
She stated with a nod "Olivier"
He responded with a bored expression "Aurora"
She muttered "That's Lord Blanc to you"
Olivier responded bluntly as he stood up slowly "That's never going to be a reality, Lords don't need to borrow stuff constantly"
Aurora tilted her head as she stated blankly "Speaking of which, I need a knife"
The moment she finished, a blade appeared next to her eye, she looked at it calmly, like a sharp object wasn't next to her most fragile part. Her hand raised to pluck it with no concern, she spun it between her fingers a few times.
She stated calmly "Appreciate it Celine"
Celine walked past her and sat down on one of the two chairs next to the kitchen counter, her whole black outfit was covered in dirt. Olivier looked irritated she was tracking so much mud into his house, ignoring how torn and ripped his own jacket was.
Celine stated bluntly "We're at thirty to five now, you need to pick up" Her usual deep voice echoed in the room, it felt powerful.
Aurora held her hair up as she responded irritatedly "Yea I get it, I'll pay you back someday"
With a few short pushes she had cut most of her hair off, only a small amount dipped off her head. Bits of white locks fell on the ground, mixing its already dirty sleeves with the mud covered floors.
Olivier held his face in his hands as he muttered "I hate you both"
Celine leaned over the counter as she said smugly "Mhm, you hate us soooo much you don't kick us out" Her head tilted as her eyebrows raised.
Olivier snapped his fingers at her "Touché"
Aurora leaned against the doorway as she watched the two, her mind was clear and calm, as it usually was, not many thoughts. This life was dirty and cruel, but it had life, it wasn't perfect, but it works for her.