04: Bombshells

“I do not understand. He was meant to protect us.” Lina’s tears streamed down her face. She shook her head in confusion, frustration, and disappointment. The room shook as the bombshells struck the city center. Her school papers were strewn across the floor; her favorite books littered the ground by the broken bookcase, and outside, dust rose in clouds, seeping in through the shattered window. Lina pressed her bandana to her face to avoid inhaling the thick clouds, but it was to little effect. The following blast disbalanced her, but she managed to grab onto the table just in time. Noel, her neighbor, tumbled in through the door, grabbing onto the same table as the house continued to shake.
“They're shelling the Reign’s Square now,” Noel gasped through his military facemask. “After that, their best target is Tarin’s Plateau, which where we are at right now.” He grabbed Lina’s hand and they rushed out of the room. The stairwell in the main atrium of their complex was trashed by chunks of roof. Noel and Lina carefully navigated what was left of the stone stairs, swiftly making it to the outer courtyard. Once outside, the state of the city became clear from the Plateau; the densely populated and colorful center was reduced to a black smoking rubble, while Reign’s Square was aflame, becoming less recognizable with every shelling. The deserts beyond were spotted with the encroaching enemy masses, from east to west, north to south. Lina grabbed onto Noel’s arm to save herself from falling to her knees from the shaking earth.
“They're bloody bandits, Noel, why the hell can't Damian stop them?! Why isn't he keeping us safe from simple savages?! He's so much…”
“Damian’s dead by now.” Noel sharply turned to face Lina. “He's not a god, damnit. Shoot him in the head and he's dead, shoot him in the neck and he's dead, shoot him in the heart and he's dead, just like the rest of us. Look at the damn city!” Noel swung his pistol along the horizon. “If he was some god, then explain this! I've read far too many stories of these bloody aeternums turning the tides of battle through chivalry and courage. It's all bloody fairytale to me, and it's time for you to snap the hell out of it! If this is what he lets his people come to, then I won't believe any more of it. HE WON’T SAVE US, LINA. HE’S GONE, FLED, DEAD, TRANSCENDED INTO THE HEAVENS FOR ALL I CARE!”
Suddenly, the shelling stopped. The city stood so still that Lina managed to make out a bird’s song in the silence. She held her breath as the sun’s rays broke through the clouds of smoke, reflecting off of the blue water covering the courtyard floor. Then, all at once, the blasts filled the air and the earth shook again. Before their feet, a pair of birds hit the ground, dead. Noel pulled a handgun from his waistband and handed it to Lina. “You must understand. We're on our own now.”