“Responsible for the World”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Everything is blurry. Dust and smoke mingle together, forming a hazy blanket over the battlefield. Where the Torran Gigaranoth once stood is a pile of rubble.

Wincing, I reach up to my forehead and feel wetness. My hand comes back red. I guess people bleed when they’re thrown from three stories up.

A muffled groan catches my attention. Bytell. He’s rolling over slowly, coughing as chunks of rock tumble to the ground.

I wait for more sounds, but that’s it. Norvac, Hili, Uriom. All dead. Killed by that monster of a man I once called my friend.

Heavy footsteps echo across the field toward me. A rush of adrenaline spikes through my body, giving me the strength to claw my way toward Bytell.

As I approach, he turns to face me. A gasp sticks in my throat when I see that half his face has been mutilated.

“I’m fine,” he rasps, raising a hand. His remaining eye snaps toward the source of the footsteps. “What are we going to do about him?”

“What do you mean? There’s nothing we can do. We’re alone.”

His attention returns to me. “What, so you’re just going to give up?”

“Do we have a choice?”

“We always have a choice.” He pushes himself to his feet with a grunt. “He’s just a bully.”

“A bully with superhuman strength and an army the size of a small moon’s population,” I mutter.

“But a bully,” Bytell repeats. “And bullies are all the same. If we don’t stand up to him, no one will.”

He holds out his hand to me and, once again, I’m reminded of why I agreed to join him in this impossible mission in the first place.

“We’re responsible for the world,” he says. The power in his voice sends chills down my spine.

I take his hand and pull myself to my feet. My gun is miraculously still in my holster, and I pull it out, keeping a firm grip on it.

“We’re responsible for the world,” I repeat, the courage firing up inside me.

Together, we turn and prepare for battle.

Final Comments: I’m not entirely sure which genre this falls into, but it was really fun to imagine the landscape and the characters. Beautiful, inspirational music.

Overall Rating: 😍