Ghost in the Roses

My hungry lungs forcefully inflate with air that wasn’t there before. Somehow, a light finds me and awakens my eyes wide open. All restrictions of the ropes are torn to shreds. Only red marks from them remain. The lid to my coffin has been blown off and the broken cement lies in rocky pieces. Feeling loopy from my mystic journey, I slowly sit myself up. Looking around, I realize that my prayer has been answered, loud and clear. The Taurus is long gone, leaving the aftermath of our exploding re-entry behind him.

“Lada!” I laugh her name. “We’re okay!”

But she refuses to wake up. She’s just as free, but something else holds her back from celebrating our escape from untimely death. In our crater, Lada lies still in her box with her eyes closed.

“Lada?” confused, I check on her. “Lada, get up.”

She won’t respond to me shaking her.

“Oh, no! Lada!” realizing why, I drag her out our crater.

There’s no heartbeat or sign of breathing. This sobers me up right there and then.

“Fuck! Really, Lada?!” Immediately, I start chest compressions and synthetic breathing.

“Come on!”

Her ribcage springs back from every push.

“Wake up!”

The force of my breath rises her chest.

Her pale skin grows colder, but I know what to say to put some fire back into those veins.

“You fucking coward!” I push harder at her heart. “Get your ass up!”

“Open your damb eyes, you lazy fuck!” I scream, before placing my mouth over hers.

Still, her lungs don’t work on their own.

“I’m getting tiered of doing all the work for you!” My lips let go of hers to start chest compressions once again.

With each passing empty moment, my fear rises.

“Don’t give up, please. Don’t go away, just because the fighting has gotten tougher,” the growing sorrow in my throat makes it difficult to keep shouting.

No matter, I’ll breathe for her forever if I have to. Even cry for her, because this must be very painful in her ribs.

“Lada, please...” I lean in with my lungs burning raw.

Her chest rises, but this time, I had nothing to do with it. To my complete and utter relief, Lada finally does it on her own.

My laugh seems unsympathetic and out of place as she coughs. “Lada! You’re alive!” like an automatic trap, my arms wrap around her.

“Yeah,” her lungs are horse as they adjust to being back in business. “Anything to shut you up.”

“How do you feel? Can you stand up?” quickly, my eyes scanning over her body.

“Yeah, my chest hurts though,” with my help, she gets up.

“I bet it does,” overwhelmed with happiness, I wrap her arm over my shoulders for support. “Come on, I need you to get us out of here. You know these tunnels better than I ever will.”

“You won’t have to ask twice. I’m ready to get the hell out of here,” she leans in.

Through a manhole, Lada and I make it back to the surface. After being stuck in the dark for so long, it takes a good moment for us to adjust to the midday sun.

“Are you sure we’re back at the Capital?” Still squinting, I remember to push the lid back on, so no one falls in on my account.

I don’t mean to doubt her, but this silence in the middle of lunch hour is unnatural for a big city.

Lada takes no offense at my questioning. “I’m sure, but...it’s so...,” she’s just as confused.

“Quiet,” I finish her thought.

In time, the light trains my vision to evolve back to normal, but my surroundings make me wish I was blind again. This sight is no cure for sore eyes. It’s alarming.

“Where’s everyone?” Lada is just as confused to find herself in the midst of a ghost town.

More and more, we notice new things.

“Looks like there was a riot some time ago,” that’s the only explanation I can think of for the rows of busted windows and miles of shard glass flowing from all directions.

“That’s one heck of a riot. Out of all the times I’ve been to one, I’ve never seen any of them get out of this control,” shaking her head, Lada looks up at the broken brick walls.

She’s right. It’s no secret how messy the streets get after each unrest, it never stopped the city folks from cleaning it up the very next morning and getting back to business. This one is very different. Even if there were people in the streets, it would be very difficult to go about normal life with broken-down walls and missing tower tops.

“You’re right, this isn’t a riot,” my eyes follow a torn-up Capital’s flag crawl across the road, like some defeated critter. “What happened here?”

“Adrien?” something else catches her attention in the middle of wandering.

“What?” I watch the symbol of the four-headed eagle turn the corner.

“I’m thirsty. I really need some water.”

“That diner is okay. Maybe we can find some there,” trying to keep it together, I spot a possible source of running water.

Overwhelmed by the destruction, I forget the insignificance of my pain and tiredness.

Crack, crack, crack. The sound of breaking glass under my feet follows me and Lada all the way to the eatery the size and shape of a passenger cart. The roof sign is missing some letters to the place’s name. The painted logo on one of the few intact windows makes the correction stating that this is ‘Carlo’s Diner’, not 'rlo’s Din'.”

“Hello? May we come in?” walking in, I step over a spilled coffee presser. “Hello?”

The tables are in disarray with cold leftovers, but there's no wait staff pacing the floor to clean it up. We are the only customers with all the booths and stools available to our choosing.

Without a word, Lada slowly makes her way behind the bar to the water dispenser. Her shaky hands find some untouched cups and glasses hiding in the cabinets.

“What the fuck happened in this damb town?!” my nerves run out. At the swing of my hand, a row of dirty plates flies off the bar top.

My unchecked attitude angers the ground and immediately, I regret losing my temper. A booming roar shakes the air, putting me back in my place. Lada and I brace ourselves against the vibrations beating at the walls outside. The tea cups and silverware tremble in fear as some of them lose grip and fall.

“What was that?!” Lada’s wide eyes meet mine.

“Sounds like an explosion,” I make no mistake about that.

A whimper gives away a secret that we’re not alone in here. Someone vulnerable is hiding. Careful, not to startle the poor survivors I peek into their hiding spot. Two kids hold on to each other even tighter. Their pained expressions tell that they are no strangers to the horror outside.

“Hey, you two. It’s okay. My friend and I are here to help,” I put on a smile for the huddled-up twin brothers.

“No!” his cute voice is heartbreaking. “You’re one of them! You’re a Rouge Red!”

“No, I assure you I am not,” I reach into my pocket, but that only frightened them even more. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. My Knight’s Coin is in my pocket.”

Without a single blink, they keep watch of my movement.

“Here, have a look,” my reaching hand waits for one of them to be brave enough to take it.

One of them does and take turns to examine both sides of the coin. Their grip on one another relaxes and the frowns melt away.

“You’re a knight? Of which house?” convinced I’m telling the truth, they return it to me.

“I’m Adrien Rivers, this graduating year’s knight of the Violet Domain. And this is my good friend Lada,” while helping them out of their hiding, I motion for Lada to make their acquaintance.

“Hello there,” she bends over and waves.

“Hi,” their smile is encouraging.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Dima, and this is my brother, Victor.”

“Why are you guys hiding here? Where are your parents?”

“We always meet our Mom here for dinner. After our music practice, she takes her dinner break from work with us,” one of the brothers explains as we help them onto the stools.

“Wow, you guys walk here all by yourselves? You must be in middle grades,” using a napkin, I dip it into my glass of water and start cleaning the chubby cheeks and button nose.

“No, you goof,” Dima giggles so does his brother. “We’ll be in second grade next fall.”

“Except she never made it here last night,” the one that’s Lada cleaning up, Victor, looks down again. “The Rouge Red came.”

“What happened here, dear?” gently, Lada lifts up his chin.

“What do you mean what happened here? Do you guys live under a rock?” Dima gets snarky.

His questions made me laugh a little. “In a way, yes. My friend and I were forced to by the Rouge Red. They kept us captive under a...rock, but we escaped.”

“They attacked last night. My brother and I were here waiting for our mother when they started. At first, we didn’t know it was them. Because of some strange symbols on their strange weapons we thoughts it was invaders from other countries, but then they started shouting and yelling how they are the mighty Rouge Red,” unable to go on, he breaks down crying.

“What strange weapons is he talking about?” Lada whispers to me.

“Looks like Rouge Red is a lot more resourceful than we thought. I think they’re getting foreign aid from those who think like them.”

Victor tries to continue where his brother left off. “They said how there will be no elections. How it was they who freed the Domains from kings and queens and they deserve to be the new government. They yelled threats that if anyone stood up to them, then they would be killed on the spot. They said that they are the one and only rule around here, that not even gods’ and angels’ laws are above theirs.”

Oh, no. I remember this. I heard about this before. The Archangel Michael warned me about this and like a fool, I believed that by working together we actually could stop it.

“Didn’t anybody come to stop them?” Lada catches the boys’ tears.

“We saw the Royal Guard and the knights team up to fight them, but they were outnumbered. All they could do is hold them off while trying to evacuate us. We watched them all go into the manholes and alleys.”

“Were you too scared to go?” out of a glass case, I offer the boys yesterday’s sweet rolls.

“No, we just didn’t want to leave without our Mom. We thought we could wait for her.”

“You and your brother are so brave. I’m impressed, but I think your mother didn’t come because she wasn’t given the choice and had to evacuate by order. I think it’s time for you to leave the city and find her. Lada and her friends know the alleys and tunnels very well,” I look up at her.

“That’s right. I can lead you out of here and together, we will find your mother and all of your music classmates,” trying to get them excited and ready to leave the diner, she hypes up the plan.

Without any further encouragement and with high hopes of seeing their mother again, the twins follow us out of the diner. Another explosion almost sends them running back to the restaurant, but they learn to find their refuge in our hugs and comforting words. Finally, we find Lada’s alley and from there on, I know they’ll be safe.

“Are you coming?” Dima tugs at my shirt.

“Not yet, but I will be joining you soon. I’ve got to find my classmates and bring them here too,” the dust flies as I ruffle up his already messy hair.

“Where are you going, Adrien?” Lada steps in.

“To Knight’s Academy.”

“With all the explosions going off all night, it’s nothing but rubble by now. We’re too late. We lost.”

“We lost the city, so the people could escape it. Soon, we’ll regroup and take it back, but Nina and Kai might still be out there.” I have to say no more. Lada nods with a certain understanding.

“Be careful, the long-range rockets are still being launched in that direction,” she comes closer, “And remember, when this is all over, you promised me a dinner date,” and surprises me with a kiss on the cheek.

“I remember,” with an assuring smile, I leave her to evacuate the last two civilians.