The night pressed in; the stillness wrapping around the camp like a thick blanket, swallowing even the smallest of sounds, and leaving the camp cloaked in eerie tranquility. A profound stillness enveloped the camp, an almost impenetrable silence that seemed to seep into the very soul. Akur and Aluel lay cramped inside Charles' cargo hold, the soft hum of his machinery the only noise breaking the silence of the night.
Akur shifted restlessly. A sharp intake of breath escaped her lips as she adjusted her position, her mind lingering on the day's revelations. She replayed the events of the evening like a broken record. Each detail a sharp, jagged edge. Aluel clung to her side, her breaths slow and steady, lost in slumber.
A sudden, distant noise broke through the night—a series of sharp rapid pops that echoed ominously through the air. Akur shot up, her heart pounding. She knew that sound. Gunfire.
"Akur, what's that?" Aluel mumbled, rubbing her eyes, the noise pulling her from sleep.
Akur placed a reassuring hand on her sister's shoulder, though she could barely contain her own fear. "Stay quiet," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the increasing din outside.
The sounds grew more pronounced. Shouts and cries mingling with the relentless staccato as the distant cracks and pops grew into a roaring chaos of gunfire. The camp was under attack. She tightened her grip on Aluel, who now lay wide-eyed, trembling.
The sounds of the firefight grew louder, and more intense. The sharp cracks of rifles and the rapid bursts of automatic weapons ripped through the air. A sudden, deafening explosion shook Charles, making the girls flinch. Aluel screamed, her cry piercing through the noise. She clutched Akur tightly and buried her face in her side, her sobs muffled. "I'm scared," she whimpered. "I don't want to die."
"We won't die," Akur said. "Just keep quiet, okay."
The sounds outside painted a grim picture. Shouts of orders, cries of pain, the relentless gunfire. Aluel's sobs turned to silent tears, her body shaking uncontrollably. Akur could do nothing but hold her.
Then the gunfire ceased. The silence was oppressive, heavy with the aftermath of violence. Akur strained to hear any sign of movement, any indication that the camp guards had prevailed. But there was nothing. Just silence.
Aluel lifted her head, her tear-streaked face pale in the dim light. "Did it stop?" she asked, her voice a fragile whisper.
"I think so," Akur replied, though her heart still pounded in her chest. "I think it's over."
BOOM!
Chaos erupted. The explosion tore through the night, a crushing pressure against their eardrums. Everything shook. The sisters felt the floor vanish beneath them. For a second, they were weightless, before—CRASH!
Metal groaned as Charles settled on his side. Their hearts racing and their breathing ragged—the sisters tried to orient themselves. The air was filled with dust and the smell of burning. Akur barely heard Aluel's croaking over the ringing in her ears. All of her senses were overwhelmed, and every muscle in her body screamed.
A jumble of shadows and sand surrounded them. Akur fumbled for her phone, her fingers numb and unsteady, digging through the coarse grains. Her fingers finally brushed against it. She fumbled with it, her hands shaking. The light flickered on; dim, but it was something.
Her vision blurred, and she struggled to focus. She saw Aluel, small and terrified, coughing up dust and gasping for air. Tears streamed down her face, etching paths through a layer of dust. She could barely breathe herself. She pulled her sister close, her hands trembling. The terror in Aluel's eyes mirroring her own.
"It's okay, we're okay," Akur whispered, voice shaking. She held Aluel tight who clung to her, eyes wide with fear. "What happened? What… Akur, what was that?"
She tried to piece together what had happened. An explosion?
"I don't know," Akur replied, her voice wavering. "We… we have to get out of here. Are you hurt?"
Aluel shook her head, but her eyes darted around, unfocused. "I don't think so. Akur, I'm scared."
"I know, me too," Akur admitted, her heart pounding. "We need to find a way out. We need to find the door."
They stumbled over the uneven floor, disoriented. Akur's hands trembled as she tried to keep the phone steady. She saw the staff lying nearby and picked it up.
"Stay close," she said.
"It's so dark…"
"I know. Just follow the light," Akur urged as they shuffled towards the cargo hold door.
Her phone's weak light struggled to cut through the darkness, casting erratic shadows on the plastic-coated walls. Sand had poured in through the cargo hold door, creating a growing pile.
They began frantically shoveling sand. But with every handful they removed, more seemed to pour in, relentlessly.
Outside, the fighting raged on. Screams and shouts mingled with the sounds of gunfire.
Aluel's breathing was rapid, panic clawing at her. "It's not working! The sand… it keeps coming in." Her small hands dug into the sand, tears streaming down her face. "Akur— we're trapped! What do we do?"
Akur tried to stay calm, but the situation was dire. "Keep digging. We can't stop. We have to get out." Her own voice betrayed her fear, the words coming out in gasps.
Minutes felt like hours as they battled the unyielding sand. The sand seemed endless, each handful they removed seemed to be replaced by more. Akur's hands were raw, her nails filled with grit.
Finally, enough of the sand shifted. A small gap opened, letting in a sliver of the night. A smile spread across Akur's face. She turned to face her sister. "You see, there's our way out." Aluel looked back with hope-filled eyes.
"Please, please," came a woman's voice, weak and sobbing. The source of the sound was fearfully close, her pleas for mercy mingling with the harsh staccato of gunfire sounding out through the camp. The sisters froze, eyes wide, wondering at the sound.
Gunshots rang out in sharp bursts, each one a harsh punctuation mark to the sounds of terror. Then, with a sickening thud, a heavy, lifeless weight landed atop Charles. Aluel screamed, her sister lunging forward, her hand shooting out to clamp over Aluel's mouth, desperately trying to stifle the sound. Akur held up her index finger to her lips before turning off her phone's light, enshrouding them both in darkness.
Footsteps approached. Crunching through the debris and sand. Akur held Aluel close, her sister's sobs muffled against her chest. The footsteps came to a halt above them.
Akur heard the heavy breathing and the sound of boots shifting as the gunman moved. There was the sickening sound of the lifeless form hitting the ground with a dull thud. A sound rang out. The sucking in of a wet breath and the spitting of mucus onto the ground.
Aluel's crying grew louder, a heart-wrenching sound that resounded in the cargo hold. "Please, Aluel, stay quiet," she whispered urgently, her fingers pressing down on her sister's mouth. Her own fear was nearly unbearable, her body shaking with the effort to stay calm.
The man's footsteps moved away, but the sound of his retreating steps did little to calm Akur's pounding heart. The harsh sounds of their labored breathing, mingled with distant shouts and the haunting echoes of the battle outside.
She turned on her phone, the darkness barely retreating from the light. She turned it towards the sliver of space at the door. Trying to peer outside. They needed to get out.
A sudden scrape against the side of Charles made them both jump, their eyes wide with terror. Akur flicked off her phone. The man was right outside, his presence a dark shadow against the moonlit sand visible through the small crack. Akur bit her lip, tears of fear and frustration welling up. She felt Aluel trembling against her, the younger girl's muffled whimpers vibrating through her hand.
The man muttered something to himself, his voice a low growl. The sound of a gun being cocked sent a fresh wave of terror through the sisters. Akur squeezed her eyes shut, praying silently for them to be left unnoticed.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the man's footsteps began to move away again, the sound growing fainter. Akur let out a shaky breath, her body still tense as she slowly removed her hand from Aluel's mouth.
Hours dragged on in the darkness, each minute stretching into eternity. The battle raged on. The noise was unrelenting, each new sound a fresh assault on their nerves. Aluel's sobs turned to silent tears, her body shaking uncontrollably. Akur could do nothing but hold her, whispering reassurances she wasn't sure she believed.
Gradually, the gunfire began to wane. The sporadic pops became fewer and farther between. The shouts grew fainter, replaced by an eerie silence that settled over the camp. Akur held her breath, listening intently.
Finally, she gained enough courage to turn the light back on. Their eyes met, red and sore, exhaustion etched on both their faces.
"We can't stay here," Akur said, her voice soft. "C'mon, we have to keep digging." She urged Aluel. She moved to start shoveling more sand. "Wait," Aluel said, pulling on her elbow. Akur turned back to face her. "I have an idea," she declared and began crawling towards the hatch of the panel at the front of the cargo hold.
Her hands shook as she reached for the small hatch. The makeshift charger she had made for Akur still dangling from beneath the hatch. With a grunt, she pulled it open, revealing a tangle of wires and circuits.
"I need some light." She requested.
"Oh!" Akur tapped on her phone's screen
Aluel's fingers trembled as she sorted through the wires, trying to remember which ones controlled the limbs.
"What are you doing?" Akur whispered urgently.
"I can try to move Charles," she said, her voice barely audible.
"What do you mean? How?" Akur asked, confused and concerned. "Do you even know how to do that?"
"I think… I think this is the one," Aluel whispered, more to herself than to Akur. She took a deep breath and short-circuited the wire. With a small spark, Charles' limbs began to creak and slowly regain their mobility. Aluel moved to another wire, repeating the process. Another limb moved, pushing against the sand.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Akur asked clutching her sister's shoulder.
Aluel nodded, sweat dripping down her forehead despite the cool night air. "I can do this, Akur. We have to get out."
Aluel moved to another wire and short-circuited it, praying it would work. The limb moved, pushing more sand away from the door.
Akur watched nervously, not fully understanding what her sister was doing, but choosing to trust her, nonetheless. "Just…be careful," she whispered, her voice trembling. She could feel the vibrations of the machine's movements becoming more pronounced.
With a loud, metallic clank, Charles stirred. The hold rocked as if an enormous force was pushing it. Akur braced against the walls of the cargo hold as she struggled to steady herself. The jolt was sudden and violent, throwing her against the side of the hold.
"Aluel!" Akur cried out; her voice choked with panic. "Is this supposed to be happening?"
"Almost there!" Aluel shouted back; her voice strained but resolute. She had managed to override the system to force Charles into an emergency recalibration. The machine's limbs moved with a jerky, mechanical motion, and Akur could hear the groaning of metal as Charles righted himself.
The sand inside the hold began to shift, pouring out in cascading waves as Charles' limbs pushed against the sand. Akur watched as the scene unfolded and the hold cleared.
As the last of the sand spilled out, Charles was back on his feet.
"Are you alright?" Akur asked, her voice almost inaudible over the sound of their ragged breaths. Her gaze swept over Aluel, checking for injuries.
Aluel looked up, sweat and grime smudged across her face but her eyes burning with a mix of exhaustion and triumph.
"We did it," Aluel said, her voice barely above a whisper, filled with exhaustion and relief.
Akur hugged her sister tightly. "You did it," she said.
"We… we need to find a safe place. Stay low, stay quiet. We'll figure this out."
They crawled out of Charles. The scene at the camp was a nightmarish tableau of chaos and destruction. Smoke billowed into the night sky, thick and choking. The fires that had erupted in several places, cast an eerie, flickering glow over the camp. The manyattas were in a state of disarray, some were completely collapsed and others were engulfed in flames.
Akur's eyes darted around, her heart sank as she spotted the woman's body, lying crumpled on the ground. She lay motionless, her form barely discernible in the dim light. Blood stained her clothing, and had seeped into the sand around her. Her outstretched arm and the unnatural angle of her limbs telling, of her final moments.
Akur quickly looked away, a wave of nausea threatening to overwhelm her. Aluel stared at the body, her eyes wide with horror. Akur pulled her sister away, whispering, "Don't look."
They looked around. Though knocked over or displaced, the other canopy beasts were largely undamaged. One beast lay on its side, its mechanical legs splayed out awkwardly, while another was slightly askew but still upright.
The ground was littered with debris, and the air, was thick with dust, making it hard to breathe and see. Akur's heart raced as she took it all in, her mind struggling to process the disarray.
"Stay close," she whispered urgently, squeezing Aluel's hand. The younger girl nodded, her wide eyes darting around, taking in the scene with a mix of fear and determination.
A loud clank made them both jump. One of the canopy beasts shifted slightly, its limbs creaking and groaning under the strain of the blast's aftermath. A few sparks flew from its joints, illuminating the scene with brief flashes of light. Akur and Aluel ducked instinctively, their hearts pounding.
"We need to get out of here," Akur said, her voice steady despite the terror in her eyes.
She held out the shepherd staff and rotated the collar wound around the shaft. It clicked once and the blue light blinked on. The hum indicating its readiness sounded out.
Aluel's gaze shifted back towards the camp. She watched the scene, the distant light, and the shadows they cast dancing across her face, her features stuck in a permanent expression of dread.
In the dim light of the flaming wreckage, a militia member stumbled out of a manyatta at the edge of the camp. His shirt was stained with dark patches of blood, and a satisfied, almost delirious grin spread across his face, as he buttoned up his pants. His gaze fell upon the two sisters standing by the canopy beasts as he fumbled with the zipper.
Aluel stood; her eyes wide with terror as she saw the man's figure. Panic gripped her, and she began to back away, her movements jerky and uncoordinated. She bumped into Akur, whose head turned sharply towards her sister. Her gaze immediately shifted towards the man, recognition and horror dawning on her face. The man's satisfied look morphed into a predatory glare as he noticed the sisters. Instinctively, he began to retreat into the manyatta, his footsteps heavy with urgency.
Aluel remained frozen, her breath coming in shallow panicked gasps. Akur scooped her up, cradling her against her chest as she began to sprint away from the camp. She moved as swiftly as she could—through the dark. Her heart pounded in her ears, a frantic rhythm that mirrored the pounding of her feet on the shifting sands.
The man emerged once more from the manyatta, an AK-47 slung over his shoulder. His eyes scanned the area. His gaze honed in, his breath hitching. Yes. There they were. He raised the weapon, his voice barely audible over the cacophony of Akur's frenzied breathing and the pounding of her heart.
Her breath came in ragged gasps as she sprinted through the night, her focus narrowed to the immediate task of escaping. She heard the staccato crack of gunfire, the sound slicing through the air, sending a jolt of terror surging through her.
She hurled herself forward, each step a struggle against the sinking sand, her sister clutched tightly in her arms, her face buried into her neck. The bullets whizzed past, some dangerously close, but she raced onwards, scrabbling for refuge.
Her lungs burned with each desperate breath as she ran, her sister's weight growing heavier in her arms. The sound of the gunfire had ceased, but she wasn't stopping now. She pushed herself on, panting, as she forced the air in and out of her lungs.
Then without warning, a sharp, searing pain exploded in her thigh. A scream escaped her mouth, the sound lost amidst the gunfire, and the howling of the wind. The impact was sudden and brutal, causing her to stumble violently. Her vision swam as the pain shot through her leg, radiating outwards with a blinding intensity.
She sprawled to the ground, her body hitting the sand with a harsh thud. The impact knocked the breath from her lungs, and she winced as the sand scraped against her exposed skin. Aluel let out a terrified cry as they both fell, rolling a few times over the sand before coming to a stop.
Akur's mind raced—trying to process the excruciating pain. Her leg throbbed with each heartbeat, the sensation of burning and numbness mingling in a terrifying symphony. She gritted her teeth, trying to push through the agony.
She could barely move her leg, the pain making each attempt to shift almost unbearable. She glanced around frantically, her mind a whirlwind of desperate thoughts. The world around her swayed and spun, a dizzying carousel of sand and shadow.
"Aluel…" she called, her voice barely more than a whisper and choked with pain.
Aluel, her face pale and eyes wide with fear, scrambled over to her sister. "Akur! Akur!" Her voice was high-pitched, barely above a scream. She reached out trembling hands to Akur, desperately trying to lift her sister. Akur rolled onto her back, wincing as she tried to move despite the excruciating pain.
Aluel glanced back at the man approaching. Cradling his AK-47. Her gaze shifted quickly back to Akur.
"Come on! We have to go!" Aluel's voice cracked with panic as she tried to help her sister, but Akur's leg was limp and unresponsive.
"My leg… It hurts so much…"
Akur's leg was a horrifying sight. Blood gushed out in a gruesome, uncontrolled flow. She lay sprawled in the sand, her leg twisted at an unnatural angle. The pain was intense, searing through her like a hot iron.
Her gaze fell to her leg. Her eyes, glassy and distant, were fixed on the blood flowing from the wound. It gushed out in a horrifyingly steady stream, spreading out in a dark pool around her before disappearing beneath the sands. To her, it seemed like a river of blood, and she could feel the cold creeping up her leg.
Aluel's gaze darted between Akur's bleeding leg and the approaching militia man. Her breathing was rapid and shallow. She felt a wave of helplessness crash over her as she saw the blood flow increasing.
"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?" Aluel muttered, her cry growing more desperate with each repetition.
Akur's vision began to blur, her light-headedness and dizziness settling in. Her eyes, once sharp were now clouded. Her head lolled back as she felt the effects of the blood loss. The crimson moon of Venus, Ember, hung above, its full-face gleaming, its light eerie and cold against the dark sky. Everything seemed distant, and unreal.
She tried to focus on her sister's face, but it seemed faraway, shifting like a mirage in her waning consciousness. "Aluel… I… I'm sorry… what… what will happen to you now…?" Her voice was faint, almost drowned out by the throbbing in her head and the growing darkness around the edges of her vision.
Then a light began to pierce through the darkness. Aluel's exhausted eyes, swollen from tears and fear, squinted against the initial, disorienting gleam. At first, it was a mere glimmer against the night sky, a faint flicker that seemed almost otherworldly. A mere halo of light, soft and pulsing, illuminating with a brilliance that flickered and danced against the darkness.
Aluel's eyes, wide with terror and exhaustion, struggled to process the radiance as it descended from the sky. Like a fiery comet falling from the heavens, its luminance reflected off the glistening grains of sand.
Gradually, a form became discernible within this radiant display. As if a celestial curtain were being drawn back, revealing a figure that shimmered with a spectral glow. The light grew more defined, the edges sharpening into a glowing, ethereal form. Her presence seemed to part the darkness, revealing her shape with an awe-inspiring clarity. The figure seemingly wrapped in a cocoon of radiant energy, her body bathed in a cascade of light that seemed to flow from her very core, hovered above the camp. Recognition dawned in Aluel's memory. A terraformer.
It looked like a woman, but unlike any woman Aluel had ever seen. It was as though the figure was made of pure, living energy. Her entire being radiating an intense, almost liquid light that danced and shimmered, rippling like molten metal, casting an iridescent glow that illuminated every crevice of the camp.
Aluel had never witnessed anything so extraordinary or terrifying. Her mouth hung open in stunned silence, eyes reflecting the relentless glow, her young mind grappling with what was unfolding before her. It was like standing on the edge of an extraordinary dream, where the boundaries between reality and the supernatural blurred. The very air seemed to vibrate with energy, a palpable sensation that made her skin prickle and her heart race. The heat of the light seeped into her bones, with an intense warmth that contrasted starkly with the cold fear that had gripped her heart only moments before.
The light from above created a surreal spectacle—illuminating the landscape with a divine glow. The militia man, who had been advancing with grim determination, had stopped and turned to see the figure descend. His face, previously set in a mask of malice, twisted into an expression of bewildered awe. He shielded his eyes, squinting against the intense brilliance, his weapon momentarily forgotten as he looked skyward.
Akur, still on the ground with her leg gushing blood, barely registered the arrival of the otherworldly figure. Her fading consciousness struggled to hold onto reality as the light swept over her, adding a surreal layer to her already fractured world.
Aluel's panic now mingled with awe. She found herself slowly drawn to the light. Dazed by the wonder of the spectacle. The militia man seemed frozen by the sight, his stance rigid as the glowing form painted his shadow long and distorted on the sand.
Aluel's breath hitched as the terraformer continued her descent, the once-ethereal light now taking on a more intense and focused glow. The glowing figure hovered a few feet above the ground, her form a radiant beacon in the darkness. The warm luminescence cast eerie, shifting shadows across the desert sand and illuminated the grim scene below.
Aluel squinted through the blinding light and began to piece together the horror that lay beneath the terraformer. Her heart sank as she slowly realized the nature of the pile that seemed to captivate the terraformer's gaze. It was a grim mound of bodies, a harrowing collection of the women who had been living in the camp. The sight was sickening, the bodies arranged in a macabre heap, their presence starkly contrasted against the glowing figure above them.
The militia men who had been near the pile now stood motionless, their faces slack with a mixture of shock and fear. The canisters they had been holding lay abandoned on the ground, their contents—clear liquid—spilling out and forming a shimmering puddle on the sand. Aluel's eyes widened as she understood the purpose of the liquid; it was gasoline, and the men had been preparing to ignite the bodies.
The terraformer, suspended above the pile, radiated an unyielding presence, her form a luminous silhouette that seemed to embody both judgment and power. The light she emitted was so intense it almost felt tangible, its warmth mingling with the cold, harsh reality of the scene below.
A sudden call rang out from the camp, slicing through the silence. The militia man who had been pursuing Akur and Aluel, burst into action, his earlier determination replaced by a frantic urgency. He sprinted back towards the camp, clutching his AK-47, his eyes wide with fear and confusion as he glanced back at the descending figure.
The men who had been near the pile quickly moved away, their earlier resolve giving way to a more primal instinct to seek safety. They regrouped behind their fellow militia members, who huddled together with expressions of alarm and uncertainty, their previous actions seemingly forgotten in the face of the new threat.
The terraformer remained unmoved, her glowing form casting a steady, unblinking light over the pile of bodies.
The militia men, their faces a mix of defiance and trepidation, surrounded the glowing figure. Their rifles pointed at the hovering terraformer, their voices harsh and commanding as they barked orders in Arabic and Swahili.
The woman remained motionless; her radiance unwavering. The men's shouts grew more frantic, their gestures wild as they demanded action from the silent figure. Then, as if the air itself seemed to hold its breath, the chaos exploded into a violent burst of motion. The air seemed to shimmer as bullets, fired in rapid succession flew towards their target.
Yet before they could hit home, they crumbled into dust, disintegrating mid-flight as if they were made of nothing but smoke. A wave of energy, a shimmering cascade of light and force, rippled outward from the terraformer. It moved with a terrifying elegance, expanding in all directions with a silent, implacable purpose.
The wave surged through the camp, its luminous tendrils sweeping across the men. The militia's weapons were the first to succumb, their metal frames dissolving into nothingness. The men soon followed, their bodies disintegrating into particles of dust and light as the wave touched them. In mere seconds, they were gone, erased from existence as if they had never been there.
Aluel's breath caught in her throat as she watched the wave spread, enshrouding the entire camp in its wake.
Her gaze was drawn to the fleeing figure of the militia man who had been pursuing her and Akur. His panicked movements were desperate, as he cast aside his AK-47 and sprinted away, his arms flailing wildly as he struggled to outrun the encroaching force. But the wave was faster—its luminous edge closing in on him. He barely had time to scream before the wave washed over him, his body disintegrating just as swiftly as the others.
Aluel watched in stunned silence, her heart pounding in her chest as the wave's edge approached her. The shimmering light grew closer. Her body felt leaden, her feet rooted to the ground by a mixture of fear and disbelief—paralyzed by the overwhelming spectacle. The approaching wave cast a soft, eerie glow over her face as it drew nearer.
As the wave reached the last few feet between them, she squeezed her eyes shut, her heart pounding in her chest, bracing herself for the inevitable. Her mind was a whirl of panic and resignation, her senses overwhelmed by the impending touch. The world seemed to pause, the night sky above and the camp below, merging into a single blinding vision, of radiant light.