The group at the wall was broken up, and people panicked and hesitated between two options. Fighting back or running away to hide in the shelter. Those who were brave died to defend the people who remained. With nothing left in this world, they felt fulfilled and glad they were about to join their family in the afterlife. Many felt fear that was visible even from the top of the wall. Constant screams and shouts, people running away and back.

After the man in the first line died, the second line quickly jumped in front with their wooden spears. Between them was a young man who lost his father and sister in one of the sick plays organized by Sive. He thrust his wooden spear into the first barnacle he saw in front of him. The spear went right into its chest, killing the monster on the spot, but instead of coming through the other side of its chest, the spear broke, leaving him unarmed. He punched the upcoming barnacle square in the face, but it barely did anything. The hideous monster grabbed him by the arm and face, pulling and scratching his flesh. The man screamed in agony, but the brave had already fallen. No one even attempted to help him; they simply watched or tried to move away from the monsters.

The remaining people pushed against each other, trying to get closer to the wall, away from the horde of monsters. Impatiently, they watched the walls and waited for the cannon fire as the monsters killed them one by one.

“That devil used us! We were just bait!” Shouted a woman in her forties. She squeezed through the group and tried to run to the shelter. “I’m not staying here to die!” She shouted, but her heart stopped as she saw that the group that tried to escape was already dead. Their blood flowed down the stairs like a small waterfall, painting them crimson red. She wanted to turn around and hide behind the remaining people, but it was too late. A barnacle grabbed the skin on her back and pulled down, skinning her back and slowly getting to her insides as the woman screamed her lungs out and her life slowly slipped away from the body.

“She didn’t leave us!” Shouted Mirabell, sheltered by the people who knew her and her family, who were very close friends.

Both people and monsters turned toward the walls as they heard loud explosions. They watched as the cannon balls flew into the wall, making a gap wide enough for one person at a time to squeeze through. All of them decided to run to the hole to get away from the monsters. They pushed against each other, wanting to be the first one on the other side, not caring about the lives of others as their own was on the line.

A desperate man pushed the people in front of him, making a woman stumble and fall to the ground. Her knees were scratched, and blood was slowly coming out of her dirty, shallow wounds. The stinging pain made it harder for her to stand back up. She felt a hand on her shoulder, thinking it was someone who had come to help her. Suddenly, a hot pain surged through her body as the barnacle tore the skin off her shoulder, dislocating it as he pulled the skin down. She screamed out her pain, but no one came to the rescue. All of them had one thing in mind. Get to the other side.

The man who desperately pushed all the people aside got first to the hole and tried to squeeze through it as he was a bit bigger than the hole. People were impatient, and another young man pulled him back so he could get to the other side first.

“What the fuck are you doing!” The desperate man grabbed the young man before he could even try getting to the other side, his face red out of anger.

“What the fuck are YOU DOING!” The young man argued back and punched the man in the face without any warning, breaking his nose.

The man spit out a broken tooth and jumped the young man, starting a fight by the hole and blocking the path for the others. Whoever tried to push them aside got hit as well and joined the fight. The horde of barnacles slowly killed those on the back, leaving a trail of corpses with flesh and meat torn off their bodies. A masaker, butchery, tragedy…

Mirabell looked in front of her at the group of people fighting each other to try to get to the other side, and looking back at the monsters, they killed many people and were getting closer to the wall. Clear fear in her eyes, and tears slowly appeared on her face as she didn’t see any hope.

“I… I don’t want to die…” She barely whispered as her throat got clogged by the fear of death and the air trying to escape her lungs as she sobbed, making it hard to breathe.

Suddenly, she was grabbed into an embrace by an older man with a few grey hairs appearing on his slick black hair. “You won’t.” He firmly said as he pushed forward to the hole.

“Mister Brint…” Whispered Mirabell as she recognized the voice.

“I’m with you!” A young man, Mister Brint’s son, joined in pushing the people to help them get to the gap in the wall.

Then, two more men and two young women, close friends of Mirabell’s family, joined them to carry the scared and confused girl. Mister Brint’s son punched the man who tried to get into the hole in the face, pushing him into the fighting group. Before the man could stand up and pay back, he got dragged into another fight. As two other fighting men trampled against him, mixing him into the fight.

A woman with a bleeding head and hair from the side of her head torn off from the fight saw an opportunity and rushed forward to the gap in the wall. Her path got blocked by a man who wanted to help Mirabell. He took a punch to the abdomen from the woman, and as she tried to poke his eye out to get through, his sister kicked the woman in the leg, making her fall to the ground with a loud thud. The rest of the group joined and made a wall to protect Mirabell as Mister Brint helped her get to the other side.

While standing in front of the gap, Mirabell looked back at Mister Brint and saw the barnacles behind him getting closer. “You need to get to the other side! Quick!” In a rush, she tried to make space for the man to go through, but he didn’t move.

Mister Brint pushed her to the other side, “At least you must survive, Mira…” he said as he turned his back against the wall to block the path for those furious people and the monsters that were slowly tearing their way into the crowd, or at least what was left of it. With his guard up, he prayed for the girl’s safety and awaited the inevitable.

“I hope that was enough to repay my debt to you… Mirco…” Whispered Mister Brint as he braced himself for the man who raised a fist against him.

“No! No! Get to the other side!” Shouted Mirabell as she tried to get back to the other side of the wall to her friends. As she placed her hand on the wall to get up into the gap, she heard the last scream, and all the sounds vanished.

“No…” She barely whispered between the sobs and heavy tears that made her tiny face shine in the remaining sunlight. “No. No. Please be alive.” Mirabell decided to go to the other side and check. With the sorrow, she lost most of her strength. Before she could climb into the hole, a soft hand grabbed her and forcefully pulled her away from the gap.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save everyone…” Barely heard Mirabell as the sounds were muffled while her face was in the embrace. She then felt tears falling onto her head. She felt the sadness of the person holding her close, so she returned the embrace and hugged that person back.

Feeling safe, she looked up to see the face of her savior. A woman with a gentle face and a small nose that was dark at the tip. Her eyes, while red from crying, had beautiful silver pupils. As she ran, all her wheat blonde hair fell back against the wind.

Her eyes flickered with darkness as her eyelids felt heavy. All those emotions flushed down, and she felt weak and sleepy. In Navia’s arms, she felt safe. She could rest peacefully.