her hand back. She caught a sideways glance from Luli, then turned away.
Leave it to me to make the conversation depressing
, she thought.
BOOM
.
The earth shook. Elle fell sideways and Bravo barked. A pillar of orange flames shot high into the sky, a curtain of fire against a velvet night. The heat singed the skin of Elle’s face. Luliscreamed. Cheng crouched. Bravo barked wildly, agitated.
Elle grabbed his collar and pulled him close to her.
Her ears rang, her vision swam. The shockwave from the detonation had felt like a punch in the chest. She took deep, even breaths, and watched as the pillar of flames subsided. Great, massive clouds of black smoke billowed into the air, blotting out the moon. In the distance, orange light flickered against the foothills.
“The base,” Luli said, staring. “Bear Mountain.”
It was difficult to think, difficult to move. Elle’s mind spun.
What had just happened? Had Bear Mountain been bombed?
She stood up, suddenly sprinting into action. She ran, climbing higher, pushing herself faster and faster. It took nearly ten minutes to round the curve of the hill. She saw Bear Mountain Military Base below. It was dark, and all she could see were flames and the outlines ofbuildings. Bravo stood by her side. Cheng and Luli were close behind her.
In the sky, the tiny, dark outline of aircraft was etched against the stars. It became smaller and smaller, until it disappeared altogether.
“We have to get down there,” Elle breathed.
“Did we just get
bombed
!?” Luli demanded.
“Looks like it.”
“But…how? Omega doesn’t know where we are.”
Silence.
They could hear the flames crackling from their vantage point on the hill. It was eerily silent. No voices. No screaming. As Elle’s eyes adjusted to the firelight, she saw a black crater in the center of camp.
“I think it was a cruise missile,” Elle whispered.
“No. Omega doesn’t have that kind of technology,” Luli replied. She looked at Cheng. “Do they?”
His expression was grim.
Elle’s breathing came rapidly, making her feel sick.
All of those people…all of those
children
.
“Come on,” she said.
She moved down the mountain, running faster and faster, stickers and brambles and rocks gouging her legs. Bravo ran ahead of her, protectively checking the path before them. By the time they reached the camp, she was out of breath, sweating, her lips and mouth dry.
“Oh, my god,” she said.
The fence around the camp looked like it had been pulled apart, leaving it flat and splayed across the ground, melted and worthless. Cracked open. Many of the buildings were simply gone. Others were still standing, ablaze with violent flames. The crater in the middle of the encampment was deep. The grass was festering with small flames. The trees were burnt black. Vehicles were on fire. Several dead bodies were face down in the mud.
Yet it was the silence that was the worst.
A bleak, heavy quiet. The absence of human voices.
There was nothing but great, cloying waves of dark smoke blowing through the camp. Headquarters was gone. The Chow Hall had been leveled to the ground. Elle tried to stand but fell to her knees. Bravo hunkered down, whining. She steadied herself and finally managed to stand up, overlooking the devastation.
Destruction, everywhere. Smoke. She covered her hands as the black wave swept over them, making the rest of the camp invisible to her. She heard Luli crying.
But mostly, it was just a harsh nothingness.
Elle wanted to scream. She was drowning in smoke and grit and heat.
Bravo shoved his head against her pant leg. Elle grabbed his heavy collar and he charged through the smoke, following a powerful instinct. They headed toward the barracks. It was difficult to discern where things were in this stifling darkness. The only defining element was the crackling flames dancing over the barracks.
Were they dead?
Was
everyone
dead?
They rounded the back of the sleeping quarters and came to the
Leave it to me to make the conversation depressing
, she thought.
BOOM
.
The earth shook. Elle fell sideways and Bravo barked. A pillar of orange flames shot high into the sky, a curtain of fire against a velvet night. The heat singed the skin of Elle’s face. Luliscreamed. Cheng crouched. Bravo barked wildly, agitated.
Elle grabbed his collar and pulled him close to her.
Her ears rang, her vision swam. The shockwave from the detonation had felt like a punch in the chest. She took deep, even breaths, and watched as the pillar of flames subsided. Great, massive clouds of black smoke billowed into the air, blotting out the moon. In the distance, orange light flickered against the foothills.
“The base,” Luli said, staring. “Bear Mountain.”
It was difficult to think, difficult to move. Elle’s mind spun.
What had just happened? Had Bear Mountain been bombed?
She stood up, suddenly sprinting into action. She ran, climbing higher, pushing herself faster and faster. It took nearly ten minutes to round the curve of the hill. She saw Bear Mountain Military Base below. It was dark, and all she could see were flames and the outlines ofbuildings. Bravo stood by her side. Cheng and Luli were close behind her.
In the sky, the tiny, dark outline of aircraft was etched against the stars. It became smaller and smaller, until it disappeared altogether.
“We have to get down there,” Elle breathed.
“Did we just get
bombed
!?” Luli demanded.
“Looks like it.”
“But…how? Omega doesn’t know where we are.”
Silence.
They could hear the flames crackling from their vantage point on the hill. It was eerily silent. No voices. No screaming. As Elle’s eyes adjusted to the firelight, she saw a black crater in the center of camp.
“I think it was a cruise missile,” Elle whispered.
“No. Omega doesn’t have that kind of technology,” Luli replied. She looked at Cheng. “Do they?”
His expression was grim.
Elle’s breathing came rapidly, making her feel sick.
All of those people…all of those
children
.
“Come on,” she said.
She moved down the mountain, running faster and faster, stickers and brambles and rocks gouging her legs. Bravo ran ahead of her, protectively checking the path before them. By the time they reached the camp, she was out of breath, sweating, her lips and mouth dry.
“Oh, my god,” she said.
The fence around the camp looked like it had been pulled apart, leaving it flat and splayed across the ground, melted and worthless. Cracked open. Many of the buildings were simply gone. Others were still standing, ablaze with violent flames. The crater in the middle of the encampment was deep. The grass was festering with small flames. The trees were burnt black. Vehicles were on fire. Several dead bodies were face down in the mud.
Yet it was the silence that was the worst.
A bleak, heavy quiet. The absence of human voices.
There was nothing but great, cloying waves of dark smoke blowing through the camp. Headquarters was gone. The Chow Hall had been leveled to the ground. Elle tried to stand but fell to her knees. Bravo hunkered down, whining. She steadied herself and finally managed to stand up, overlooking the devastation.
Destruction, everywhere. Smoke. She covered her hands as the black wave swept over them, making the rest of the camp invisible to her. She heard Luli crying.
But mostly, it was just a harsh nothingness.
Elle wanted to scream. She was drowning in smoke and grit and heat.
Bravo shoved his head against her pant leg. Elle grabbed his heavy collar and he charged through the smoke, following a powerful instinct. They headed toward the barracks. It was difficult to discern where things were in this stifling darkness. The only defining element was the crackling flames dancing over the barracks.
Were they dead?
Was
everyone
dead?
They rounded the back of the sleeping quarters and came to the
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