The Darkest Hour (Sample for Blossom's Contest)
Never again. I could still hear their screams echoing in my ears... screams full of pleading, fear, and uncontrollable agony. I could still see their faces... faces sporting those sunken, hollow eyes and terrified expressions. Most our all, I could still their pain... unbearably sharp, soul-tearingly harsh, heart-wrenchingly lingering. It burnt from the inside and scorched its way out... just like the roaring flames they had been trapped in. The roaring flames my whole village had been trapped-- and killed-- in.
It began on a normal, average day. When my dog Harry, came bolting out of the dense, strong forest with his black-furred face down and his broad tail tucked tightly between his legs, I knew something was happening. Harry never acted like that, let alone retreated from the woods in a pelt. He was a brave, courageous Lab dog, not a scrawny, tiny-looking mutt he resembled at that moment. Just behind him was a tall, handsome ornate blaze, sweeping into my village.
"NO!" I shrieked hoarsely as the flames lapped over Harry... and rolled smoothly on... leaving him devoured by the fire... gone forever, not even a bone left from his body. The red blaze churned forward, into my neat, tidy town. It seemed to swallow the place whole... everything.
And I am settled here down, big, fat tears rolling down my pale cheeks. Now you know why I am the toughest person you could ever met. I am Journey. I am as ferice as the flames, and just as strong.
