Torn Hinges - A Doomsday Diary

The doors swung open. They crashed against the dark stone walls of the folk hall, as a group of towering, fur-cladded men burst through from the darkness outside, preceded by a sharp sting of frosted air. The dwellers inside parted, as a flustered red face, adorned with a thicket of tangled hair sprouting from his upper lip, pushed forward. I recognised him as Taru, leader of the nightly patrol.

“ Chief,” He addressed the old man sitting before the fire.

“ We came upon some soldiers of the last city, they said the Governor of Artaro, he was injured on a hunt, not far from here. He needs shelter and medical attention. They are following not five minutes behind us.” A murmur rippled through the crowd. My eyes met matching warm brown ones across the room. My cousin's face stung with disgust, but he kept his mouth shut as he turned to watch the Chief.

“ How bad is it?” The Chief’s eyes didn’t stray from the embers beside him, the years he’d endured were heavy in his voice.

“They wouldn’t spare us any details, but their faces, they were grave Chief.” Taru spoke with a tightness in his voice I suspect everyone in the room felt.

After the ground became barren, the war for food consumed the world. In the final reports before electricity stopped flowing, they estimated that over 90% of humans had been wiped out. Most from famine, but the rest from the violence that ensued from various military last stands. But eventually the bombs had to run out, and when they died down, from the rubble of humanity rose gangs of survivors, the largest being the Artaro. They claimed what was left of the city in the valley, and hoarded all the medicine, food, and weapons they could find. In desperate search of peace and land to farm food, people fled to the mountains. My people. They found the peace they craved, but the land was not kind, it was frozen, and it wasn’t long before starvation set in. And that was when the Artaro came to visit. The leader boasted of farms they had set up in the city, and a trade system negotiated with other survivor groups. Labour for food. Out of desperation the deal was agreed. In the years that followed, the Artaro declared themselves the new government of ‘the last city’. As any with power do, they grew with their greed. The labour became longer, and the food scarcer. Any complaints were met with violence. So, as you can imagine the Governor, injured as he may be, was not a welcome sight.

“Clear the table.” The Chief nodded. “Anyone who does not wish to partake I suggest you make yourselves scarce. It is a dark night saving he who has buried our children.” With that, the room burst into movement. People scattered to their respective quarters, trying to distinguish the first in their mouths with distance. I felt a hand tug my arm. My aunt Charla leant towards me with furrowed brows, her medical mind already ticking with various plans of action.

“ I want you and Nilsan to help me. You’re both ready, and I don’t feel right asking anyone else, not in this case.”

“I do not want to go near that man Charla-”

“Laysa.” She put her hand over my chest, pressing on the heart shaped locket that hung there. “ Your mother would have wanted you to do the right thing.”

“ I agree, she would.” I lock eyes with her. She meets it with a hard stare, before rushing off to prepare the table. There is not much I wouldn’t do for Charla, she raised me from before I can remember. My mother died not long after giving birth to me in a famine that also took Charla’s eldest son. My mother never disclosed who my father was, not to anyone. All I have of her is a rickety old heart shaped locket, with the front half torn off. The wires of the hinges stick out at odd angles, as if they’re reaching for their missing half. I often feel them pressing into my chest, but I like it. I feel as though it is my mother talking to me.

“ Laysa.” My cousin Nilsan pulls me out of my thoughts, ushering me into the corner. “We’ve been talking about this for so long. Now is the time.”

“ Nils, he is going to be surrounded by personal guards. This is not really an ideal time.”

“Yes, it is!”

“ No -besides, everything we talked about was just that, talk. It was rage driven fantasies. We’re not to try and take out the person who controls our food supply. It’s ridiculous.”

“What food supply?” He hissed. “How many people have you had to bury in the past year, huh? How many?” I gave him a long hard stare. But he was right, my heart was heavy, and my blood was burning.

“Seventeen.”

“Exactly! Don’t tell me you don’t-”

The room exploded as the doors crashed open once again. Five men blanketed head to toe in what looked like black and crimson leather marched in, with a sixth man, the only one covered in a dark forest green, lay spread across their shoulders.

“ Over here.” Charla shouted, standing ready at the table. The men laid him out gently, through the narrow gaps between them, I could just about make out a dark wet patch above the man’s abdomen.

“Make space please, I cannot work with you crowding around him like a bunch of vultures.” The men shot glances at each other and back at Charla, either they trusted her immediately, or they had less regard for their leader than they show.

“Do you have any food?” The shortest of the men, with thick black hair that fell to his waist, was staring right at me.

“Well strangely enough, not much.” I replied letting the venom in my words drip from my lips.

“Nilsan!” Charla intervened, shooting me daggers. “Please take these gentlemen to the stockroom, let them pick what they like.”

“ Oh, gentlemen. I like that.” One of the men grinned, displaying an incomplete set of yellowing teeth. Nils scowled, but did as Charla said.

“After you.” He pointed to the doorway and the men shuffled enthusiastically at the promise of a full belly. Before he followed, he grabbed my hand feigning an embrace, whispering urgently in my ear,“I trust you.” As he let go, I felt the cold metal of a sharp edged blade pressed against my palm. My eyes widened. Nils nodded at me firmly, then followed the men away from the folk hall. I held the blade tight, my heart thumping in my chest so loudly I was worried Charla would hear it. I knew he was right, and I couldn’t count the times I’d fantasised about a moment like this. An opportunity such as this one would not likely fall at my feet again. From behind me I could hear the ripping of fabric, followed by a large groan from Charla.

“ I’m going to need more helmweed. Laysa, do you know where to find it?” I could see the purple tinted leaves surrounding the elm tree near the gate outside. I pushed the image from my head.

“No.” I said, still staring after Nils, trying to steady my thoughts. Charla cursed under her breath.

“Fine, I will go and get them. In the meantime start cleaning out his wound. It’s deep, but I think we can help him.” She brushed past me on the way to the door, before turning back to look at me.

“I’m trusting you, Laysa.”

“I know.” My voice escaped as barely a whisper. It’s enough for Charla, as she nods and disappears through the doorway. The remaining silence was deafening. I was alone with him.

Closing my eyes, I turned around. Taking one step at a time, I moved towards him. As I drew closer I began to hear shallow, rapid breaths. Strange, he sounded so human. The top of my thighs hit the table, bringing me to a halt. The blade in my hand felt as if it was on fire in my palm. I opened my eyes, and ice immediately spread through my body. The air in my lungs frozen, my blood refused to run through my veins. Lay open on my enemy’s bare chest, I saw half of a heart-shaped locket, torn away at the hinges.