Zek

They're here.

There was no shortage of signs to give it away, to announce to me and to anybody within a mile's radius that Jingping was at war. The clashing of blades, the intermittent fireball, the rumble of earth, shatter of ice, war cry, agonized scream, shellshocked hysterical laughter, all of it served to inform the world that hell had returned to the physical realm once again.

I had only just entered the town's outskirts to realize that the reality of the coming storm was just now beginning to enter the awareness of the town's people. Militiamen stood guarded in the streets, ears perked, eyes scanning the streets, waiting. Curious women opened their doors, poked their heads out their windows, only retreating inside at my shout and those of others to "Stay inside!"

They would do so when ordered, locking their doors, barring their windows, a brave few rushing outside to call for their husbands or sons to come home.

Some listened.

Others, mostly those who had none to call out for them within range, stayed put, too confused to move, but I could see the fear creeping in. I'd seen the bunkers as I entered the town, watched as their lifted their heads from underground, the gas having already dispersed. They hadn't known what they'd missed. They hadn't seen anything yet. Those by the gates who had held their position above ground, they had seen, and they had run. I had no doubt that when these men saw the degree of chaos approaching, they would do the same.

And I had to be out before then.

I had to find Ka'lira, and get the hell out of here with Luke, Zare, and Gordez.

Just have to find her first.

As I entered deeper into Jingping, the more I saw the hopes slipping away to make room for horrible realization of just what it was I was coming face to face with.

The world had been reduced to chaos, sheer anarchy, hell. Homes were ablaze, bodies lining the street, aimless soldiers wandering around, dumbstruck, the occasional one that still possessed his senses wise enough to be screaming out of his lungs, aware of just what was around him.

Fire Nation soldiers stood at the end of the streets, lighting one house ablaze after the next. Militiamen scrambled, running, fleeing, doing whatever they could. Every now and then, one could spot the rare sight of an Earth Kingdom soldier still holding his ground, fighting wherever and however he could.

Fire Benders would pass right by them, however. They weren't their targets, no. They weren't here to wage war against the enemy. They were here to destroy.

This was not a battle.

This was a genocide.

I caught sight of an Earth Kingdom spearman in the midst of a brawl with a Fire Nation soldier, just barely managing to gain the edge, using the butt of the spear to knock the man's leg aside, sweeping him to the ground, ending the soldier's life with the thrust of the spear into his chest.

He held his spear right there, not flinching, his chest still heaving, the man himself panting, still gasping for air. My attempt to snap him back to reality with a tap on his shoulder was met with the violent shift of his body to face me and the quick draw of a knife from his belt until realizing I was not one of the enemy.

His eyes were like that of an animal—wild, a combination of fear, anger, but most of all, desperation. I'd seen a rapid animal on more than one occasion, but found myself now having to confess that this was the first I'd seen of a human being in such a similar state. All sense of sanity had long since been abandoned. It was survival of the fittest, the ranks of the Earth Kingdom forces here reduced to sheer anarchy, at least where I found myself situated.

My hand still on the soldier's shoulder, eh stared at me, dumbstruck, no intention of moving and so I yelled to be heard above the chaos, "The others! Where are they?!"

There was no response. He just stood there, staring, myself uncertain if he had understood my question. I recognized the man's uniform. He was a Xiahu man. "Commander Cholla!" I yelled, trying again. "Where is he?!" Still, no answer. Rather than speak, the man began to shake…violently. His grip loosened, and he completely let go of the spear he had been holding, instead crumpling to the ground, falling to his knees and immediately afterward, onto his side, still shaking. He was sobbing, I realized, reaching forward to clutch onto his knees as he remained where he was, shaking on the ground, softly begging for his mother, for this to finally be over, for death.

I left him there.

There was nothing I could do. He wasn't going to help me find the others. He wasn't going to help me find Ka'lira.

I recognized where I was, at the very least, beholding the sight of the town's temple burning to the ground, the wood supports snapping with violent thunder bolts, the entire structure threatening to collapse at a moment's notice. I knew, at the very least, where Ka'lira was in relation to the square that housed the temple.

Further East.

And so I endeavored to orient myself, turning to the sky to use the sun as a guide, but there was no sun, the glare of the fires around me having managed to deceive me into believing otherwise. The world was lit, but not by some heavenly body, but by the inferno of war around us all. It was fortunate I recalled which way the temple had been facing in relation to me when last I had searched for Ka'lira's abode a week ago. And so while the temple still stood, on its last legs, I found east, and was by no means pleased with what I discovered.

If I was in hell now, then the east was what hell feared. War was being waged to the east, fires burning in the sky, the ground shaking from a desperate defense, and beyond that, I knew, Ka'lira, if she still lived.

No. There is no 'if'. She's alive. You'll find her.

I was unsure if I truly believed my own thoughts, but in that moment, I found that it mattered little. I knew what I had to do, where I had to go, and so I took that first step into the pit of fire, following that street leading east.

2 Earth Kingdom soldiers passed by me, carrying an injured comrade between the two of them, propping him up at the shoulders, seemingly unaware of the fact that the comrade they carried to safety was already dead, the lower half of his body abandoned to the conflict long ago. My sight followed them as they moved along towards the town square, oblivious to the futility of the 'assistance' they rendered to their lost compatriot. I did not stop them, however. I knew this, had seen this before. They would sooner kill me for interfering than abandon their comrade, lost though he may be. The rush of battle, the adrenaline, the way it clouded the mind, it was terrifying. There was no reasoning, no rationality. There was only fight or flight.

To my right, civilian burst outside the door of his flaming himself, himself lit similarly ablaze, screaming his lungs out, arms flailing until the pain proved too much and he fell to the ground in a final flurry of screaming and writhing until he was lost as well. I carried on. I had to. I couldn't do anything.

Through a house to my left, accompanied by a shatter of glass, an earthen disk flew through the air, crashing against the building on the opposite side of the street. The force of the impact had been enough to knock me to the ground, as well as a woman in torn attire who had been similarly knocked off of her feet. I rose to mine, recovering quickly enough, and dashed to her side, offering her my arm to stand, forcing her up while yelling at her to "get the hell out of here", myself having no idea just how one would even go about doing so.

And go where? Where is safe?

She ran off regardless. To where? I couldn't say, but at least not in the same place.

An alleyway to my left saw two Earth Kingdom soldiers, one an infantryman and the other an archer, slowly backing away until a burst of fire scorched through the alleyway, catching the infantryman and sending him to the ground instantly, the archer just narrowly making it around the corner in time to avoid the blast before turning said corner to fire a shot. One that, as I observed it as I passed, struck true.

It mattered little. The building to his side promptly erupted in a fiery inferno, myself thankful for my position to the street's right to just narrowly avoid the hurtling debris.

What the hell? I asked myself in regard to just what had happened until my eyes chanced upon the trio of firebenders approaching from the southeast, to my rear. And I was their next target. Shit. I threw myself to the right, retreating into an alleyway, just narrowly avoiding the fire bolt that struck the air where I had stood only seconds ago. My eyes left the alley to scan the building that had erupted in fire. It was on the verge of collapse, the fires already spreading to adjacent structures. I looked further south, down the alley, pondering if a safer route was provided, but judging by the quick glance I paid to the Earth Kingdom civilians making a desperate retreat, one catching a crossbow bolt in the back of the neck as they did so and the Fire Nation pursued, hot on their trails, still firing away, I surmised otherwise.

I turned back to the structure just in time to observe one of the primary support beams snap from the heat.

If I'm going to go, it has to be now.

Every second I wasted was one the Fire Nation grew closer. Fuck it.

I left my position of relative safety in the alley and dashed outside. I was by no means hidden, and the firebenders were quick to catch onto my position, firing upon me as I dashed East, the building mid-collapse as I passed beneath it, the fiery remains of the building making contact with the ground directly behind me. It may have granted me safety from the 2 soldiers pursuing me, but my troubles were far from over.

Soldiers of both sides still quarreled on the street beneath a canopy a spreading flames. I recognized where we were—the market. If such were the case…

She's close.

Not a second was wasted. I ran. Ran east as fast as I could, ducking beneath the swinging sword of a Fire Nation soldier, instead catching a militiamen in the back of his neck, sidestepped an earthen discus that instead crushed a Fire Nation soldier who had been pursuing me. I ran past one struggle after another, intent in getting involved on none, my sole purpose to find her, to find the others, and leave while we were still breathing.

My eyes caught the association of residence buildings that existed past the street that ran north and south, the road proving yet another intense battleground for the forces at war with one another. No. Not war. It was not soldiers the Fire Nation was fighting, but civilians desperately attempting to defend themselves—men, women, even children. What the hell is happening here?

None were paying attention to me. I was invisible as far as anyone was concerned, and so I ran, intent on crossing before that changed.

But then that familiar noise.

Shanzi?

No, but rather, 3 Fire Nation tanks approaching from the North. They've landed armor.

And in the blink of an eye, nearly 2 dozen civilians were scorched alive before my very eyes, myself just having barely crossed the street to the opposite alleyway just in time, watching in horror as Fire Nation soldiers disconnected themselves from the atrocities they had been in the midst of committing only moments ago, and marched on as unfeeling tank treads rolled over the corpses of the dead, reducing them to nothing more than roadkill.

They're attacking civilians. Nearly only civilians. What in spirits' name is happening here?!

I pushed the question aside. I couldn't dwell on that. Not now.

I knew the alleyway, knew the buildings it connected to, somehow having memorized the layout in the single day I had been here a bit over a week ago. I did not question it, however, but ran, taking the turns through the narrow alley as I sought her home, making one twist after another turn. The buildings here were ablaze as well, and I could hear struggle ahead, but I carried on, leaping over a burning cart that had been a melon vendor operating as usual just a few hours ago. I pushed aside a wandering Fire Nation soldier as he caught my gaze and raised his spear, casting him aside, the man none of my concern, and I continued to run.

A fireball from an unknown source followed me, but not my turn, colliding against a wall to my back, the impact knocking me to my knees for but a moment as I promptly stood back up, my trajectory set, knowing exactly where I was headed, the growing concentration of flame and soldier no doubt worrying me to no end.

Don't focus on that. Just get there. Get there now!

And so I did, chancing upon the home in which she had been staying with the family that had taken her in. The door was wide open, but that didn't stop me. Within were 3 Fire Nation soldiers. The husband was dead, the wife held at the blade of one of the soldiers, seemingly in the midst of them having their way with her.

And in the corner of the room, Ka'lira, on the ground, clothes torn, but still dressed, seemingly being saved for last, her hands bloody, face bruised, and a dead Fire Nation soldier at her feet, the story constructing itself within my head, admiring her for her effort to protect her family, but regretting that I hadn't been here. That I hadn't been here to defend her and her family from the other three.

They stood around her, watching as the one by the wife endeavored to undress her, just waiting for him to be done so the true prize could be had.

And something in me snapped right then and there. I no longer saw uniforms, saw the black and red of the army I had proudly served just over a year ago. The uniforms they wore, they didn't exist so far as I was concerned. These were not soldiers, these men, if even they could be called that, were simply animals. They were not soldiers to be fought honorably and given the rest of an equal, but a rabid animal awaiting slaughter. I knew what I had to do.

One stationed at the doorway turned to face me, seemingly shocked by my entrance, and in his half-dazed state, attempting to swing. I caught his wrist before he could even built the momentum behind his swing. A single elbow of my free arm was all it took to break his grip on the sword, surrendering it to me as I caught it, turned to face the man, and sunk the blade into his stomach, where the Fire Nation armor plate would not reach. The blade sunk in like a knife through butter, and his gaze turned up from the growing wound in his stomach to face me, blood already flowing out of his mouth, a horrifying gurgle all that escaped from him before I placed a foot to his chest and kicked him off, freeing my blade as he slid off onto the ground

It was then that the other, the one who had been waiting near Ka'lira, sword already at the ready, raised it and yelled as he charged. Sloppy. I stepped to the side, easily avoiding his downward swing, allowing him to use his own momentum to lodge himself into my blade, right into his midsection. All it took then was sliding it to the side, allowing him to break apart from his stomach as he sunk to the ground behind me.

The last, who had had his blade to the wife's throat, raised it, shaking, the look in his eyes that of horror. I did not know what had registered in my face, but whatever it was, it had been enough to cause him to surrender his blade, throwing it the ground, and raise both hands, in the midst of a plea for mercy that would not escape his lips as my sword promptly worked its way into his neck, pushing him against the wall, watching as the black ooze spilled, caking my blade. I waited until his eyes had rolled back into his skull before removing my sword, watching as he sunk to the ground.

The wife was still gasping for air, clutching her loose clothes to her chest.

"Are you-" I coughed. "Are you alright?"

She was too terrified to speak. She could only nod her head.

And I turned then to Ka'lira, where she still was huddled in the corner of the room, covered in a grizzly combination of her own blood and that of the man she had slain in self-defense.

Her eyes were on me, the emotion behind them unidentifiable to me, myself only able to see that it was not the same hate, no, but something different, almost, fear? No, not fear. It was as though she was sizing me up, as though encountering me for the first time in a fashion that threatened to break me right then and there. But it didn't matter. It didn't matter what she thought of me. I had to get her out of her. She needed to get out of here.

I leaned forward and offered her my hand to help her stand.

She only sat there, watching, eyes still wide, set motionless on my own eyes. Our eyes met one another as they had so many times before, but the circumstance so sorrowfully different now. Please, I found myself close to begging. Please, just come with me. You don't need to love me. You can hate me however long you want, but please. Don't die here.

"I'm sorry," was all I could mutter as barely a whisper. There was so much, so much more I would have loved to say, but I found I couldn't, and not as a consequence of the world being torn apart around us. I simply couldn't stand to say anymore, the words caught in my throat. "I'm sorry," I repeated. "I-"

Her hand reached forward, taking mine. I did not hesitate to help lift her to her feet, her hand resting on my shoulder for support until her footing was secured. Outside, the roar of combat continued. I recalled the direction in which our forces had been seen retreating—south, closer to the clearing. If we were going to find the others, it would be there.

I turned to Ka'lira, looking her over to check the extent of her injuries. For the msot part, she was alright. Her face was bruised, her arm cut, but still she seemed in a state ready to do what she had to in order to get through this. Her eyes met mine again, and she nodded, something comforting about it in that moment.

I turned back to the woman, her eyes locked on the man dead on the ground—her husband. I couldn't begin to imagine what she must have been going through, but I couldn't allow her to stay her. I knew, beyond all doubt, that if she didn't leave with us, she would die.

I was surprised by how weak she was as I pulled her away. There was no struggle in her. Not anymore. Not as I pulled her away from her husband, not as I lifted her to her feet, and not as I practically carried her over my shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I remember saying as I hauled her over my shoulder, her weak sobs shaking her body where she rested atop my right shoulder. "But we have to go. We have to go now.

Ka'lira placed a sorrowful hand on the woman's back, a small light pat intent on providing comfort to a woman who was long past comforting, but I did not blame her for trying. Our eyes locked, and we nodded to one another. We were in this together again. We were going to get out. We didn't need to say anything. We understood. My eyes turned south as we left the building, and we set forth, myself praying that we could find the others and get out of here before it was too late.