There was a blinding light and searing heat. Dark smoke clouded Mei’s vision and the smell of fire singed her nostrils. In her arms were the charred remains of her mother’s corpse. A charcoal colored skull grinned back at her from where her mother just stood, wrapping Mei in her embrace. Ringing filled her ears and her vision was blurry. She felt the smoke filling her lungs. She couldn’t think clearly. Mei released her mother’s corpse and it fell to the ground as she stepped back. Had it been an air strike? Was the war still going on? Nothing made sense. Above her the sky was blue. It seemed to mock her.
Whenever you feel upset, take a breath and count to ten.
Her mother’s words played in her ears. Mei took a breath, inhaling more of the noxious smoke and choking. She coughed and stumbled across the remnants of her home. Glass shards crunched beneath her feet and she dodged flames as she staggered onto the street. She fell to her knees on the asphalt and looked back at her home. It had been completely leveled. The dancing red flames replaced the walls and the cloud of black smoke was the only cover that remained against the sun. Mei shut her eyes tightly and took a breath again, thinking about her mother as she existed just moments ago.
One.
In the last year of the war, Mei had taken on the role of the family caretaker. She had graduated and moved back home amid the chaos of the Final War. Her parents were beginning to show their age and her brother had fallen ill that same year. Though Hong Kong had remained remarkably intact through the years of the war, the supplies coming into the city were becoming more scarce. China was being subjected to a number of embargoes and the US Navy had become more aggressive, blockading ports and sinking supply liners. Shipments had begun being dropped onto the city by the airforce, but the frequency had started to decrease and prices surged.
Mei’s father had continued his job at one of the major newspapers. With the rolling blackouts that had become common, newspapers’ popularity had soared and so had her father’s job security. His salary provided for the family though Mei would often do favors for the neighbors to bring in some additional money. His job required long hours and Mei managed the household in his absence. The searing flames reminded her of the final day of the war.
It had been a normal morning. Mei was making a list of groceries to pick up for the family while her mother sat at the table reading the newspaper. The front page warned of recent movement by the American airforce towards Hong Kong. Advisories were listed for a multitude of provinces, including Wan Chai, warning them of possible airstrikes and listing shelter locations. There was even a column dedicated to nuclear bombs and how individuals could ensure their survival in the aftermath of one.
“Be careful today,” Mei’s mother had warned, pointing at the front page of the newspaper. Mei nodded,
“Always, Mama.” she replied.
As she walked to the grocery store, Mei had noticed the eerie quietness of the province. The news had clearly made the people of Wan Chai uneasy. She made it to the store and grabbed a basket, walking through the aisles and grabbing the items on her list that were still in stock. The lights in the store flickered while she was in the produce section and Mei looked up. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and the power remained on. She shrugged and began inspecting the oranges, putting the good ones in her basket. Then the power went out. Someone in the store screamed before the emergency generator kicked in.
“Please make your way towards the exits,” the intercom boomed overhead. Mei brought her basket to the front and paid for the groceries she had managed to get before the strange blackout. A creeping sense of unease had begun to fill Mei though blackouts weren’t uncommon in the province. This time it felt different. She exited the store and saw that the blackout was across the province. People had left their cars on the streets as traffic lights went dark. She could hear sirens blaring through the city, air raid sirens.
Mei began to sprint home as the adrenaline kicked in. She clutched the bags of groceries close to her chest as she ran. From above she could hear the jet engines of planes. She didn’t dare stop to look up. She could see her house looming ahead, growing closer with every footfall. Her sneaker soles smacked against the concrete as her legs propelled her forward.
Then the bombs began to fall. The towering buildings in the province provided cover for Mei as she ran towards her house. Explosions boomed above her and sent metal and glass flying overhead. The sirens faded into the background as they were drowned out by screams, bombs, and jet engines.
Mei burst through the door of the house and her mother immediately grabbed her, pulling her away from the windows.
“In the pantry,” She commanded and Mei squeezed in alongside her brother, Bolin, who was already huddled in the far corner of the small pantry. Mei’s mother pushed herself in as well and shut the door, shielding her children with her body.
“Where’s papa?” Mei whispered,
“Still at work,” Bolin replied, his breathing heavy and labored as if each word was sapping his strength.
“He’ll be ok. They have places he can be safe in,” Mrs. Chen said. The house shook as bombs rained down above them. “Just breathe and count to ten, ready?”
The three took a breath. Bolin began to cough and Mrs. Chen waited for him to stop before she began,
“One…”
Two.
The power didn’t return after the bombings. As the weeks passed, the backup generators also began to fail and slowly the city lost power. Mei’s father found an old battery powered radio in one of the storage bins and the family gathered around the table as he adjusted the antennae to pick up a signal.
Mei remembered how Bolin had looked that night. He struggled to remain upright in the dining room chair. His cheekbones were more pronounced and his eyes seemed sunken in, highlighting his rapid weight loss. His forehead shone with beads of sweat and his breath rattled in his chest.
The radio never picked up a signal. Static crackled through the speakers regardless of how the antennae were positioned.
“Must be broken,” Mei’s father grumbled. “I’m going to go check with one of the neighbors who has a car. See if they can pick up a signal through the car radio.” He said.
Mei helped Bolin onto the couch and brought him a damp rag for his forehead. He felt feverish and she knew that he needed help. The hospitals had lost power and were no longer accepting patients but there were still pharmacies that were filling prescriptions. The sun had begun to set but Mei grabbed her backpack and walked out the door,
“I’ll be back soon,” she called into the house, closing the door before her mother could object. She walked down the street alone, keeping to the center of the road where there was the most light. The sun continued to sink behind the remnants of the skyscrapers, their once proud heights reduced to jagged edges against the sky. She made it to the pharmacy. The storefront had been damaged in the bombings and cardboard boxes and plywood covered the broken glass.
“Pharmacy” was spray painted over the front in capital black letters. She caught the store owner as he was leaving.
“We’re closed,” he said, packing up a suitcase with his remaining inventory. “Come back tomorrow.”
“I need something for my brother for tonight. Please, I brought food.” Mei said, pulling out a container with a serving of her mother’s steamed pork buns. The man eyed them and then sighed,
“What do you need?” he asked.
Mei explained the situation with Bolin and listed his symptoms. The man listened and thought for a moment. He began to search through his suitcase and he pulled out an orange pill bottle.
“I can’t guarantee it will work and that’s only enough pills for a few weeks,” the man said as Mei took the bottle of pills and handed him the container of food.
“How many weeks?” She asked.
Three.
Bolin seemed to get better. His fever broke and he regained his appetite. By the second week of being on the medication, he was able to walk short distances without assistance. Mei knew that the pills were almost out. She would need to get more for her brother if he was to fully recover. However, the city had become more dangerous. The province had been without power for nearly three months and supplies had stopped being dropped in. Food was harder to come by. Mei and her mother had begun saving the seeds of vegetables they cooked and cultivating a garden in their small backyard. The sprouts were still far from bearing fruit.
Mei searched her room for anything valuable that she could exchange for more medicine for Bolin. She found a silver wristwatch that had been gifted to her by her late grandmother. It was valuable before but one quality made it even more valuable now. It still told the time. It was a battery-powered analog watch that remained unaffected by the loss of power and whatever had caused the province to lose access to radio signals. Though telling the time was of little importance, it provided a sense of stability and normalcy in the chaos. Mei fastened the bracelet of the watch around her wrist and slipped through the window of her bedroom. She knew her parents wouldn’t want her leaving the house but Bolin’s life was more important than her safety.
The streets of Wan Chai seemed to get quieter each time Mei found herself on them. Many of the Chen’s neighbors had left, fleeing to another province or seeking to leave the city altogether. Their houses had been looted of anything valuable within the first week that they were left vacant. Mei’s family had boarded up their windows in the living room and her father had added more locks to the door.
Mei hummed quietly to herself as she walked towards the shops. She knew it was unlikely that any of them remained open but she hoped that there would at least be other people there that she could talk to. At least one person should know where to find more medicine and food. A sound came from behind her and she stopped humming. She turned around and immediately felt something collide with her head. Her vision started to go dark and she fell to the ground. She heard voices and felt someone grab her hand. She tried to focus on the face of the person but she could only see hints of color, blurred against the background.
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She woke up to a cat licking her face. It sprinted away as she sat up. The moon was high in the sky, looming over her. She groaned and grabbed her head, feeling dried blood in her hair. She noticed that her watch was gone and with it any chance of getting more medicine for her brother. Her shuddering sobs of despair were the only noise in the otherwise silent streets.
Four.
Mei was the one who found him. It was two weeks after the pills had run out. Bolin had regressed quickly. His fever came back within three days of being off the medicine. Within five days, he was no longer able to walk. He was moved to his room and Mei’s mother began increasing his rations of food though they all knew it was useless. Bolin no longer had an appetite and eating pained him. Everything pained him.
“Bolin,” Mei called gently as she entered his room with a plate of food. The air in his room was dank. His curtains were drawn and the plywood over the windows blocked all the light outside. It had been warm that day and the room held the heat.
Mei walked into the room and towards her brother’s bed. She could see the dark shadow of him wrapped in a blanket and lying on his side. She gently shook him but he did not move.
“Bolin,” she said again with more urgency. It was then that she noticed she could no longer hear him breathing. The rattling wheeze that had come from his congested lungs was gone. She pulled on his shoulder and he fell to the side.
Bolin’s lips were blue and glossy with white patches of dried saliva in the corners. His eyes were wide but devoid of life. His veins were a deep blue and showed in his face. Mei clasped a hand over her mouth as she dropped the plate. It shattered on the ground and her mother rushed into the room. She looked at Mei and then to Bolin. Her screams could be heard for miles.
They buried him in the backyard underneath the lone tree next to their garden. Mei and her parents stood silently over the freshly turned soil until the sun set. There were no words that anyone could say. When her parents went inside, Mei stayed beside her brother’s grave for a few minutes more.
“I’m sorry, Bolin.” She whispered.
Five.
Mei opened her eyes. The flames had nearly consumed her home. She knew her parents’ bodies were still in there. Their bones would be laid to rest in the bones of her home. Mei slowly stood and looked around.
The level of destruction superseded any of the airstrikes that the city had endured. Every building along the street had been razed. The asphalt of the street itself had bubbled with the heat and begun to collapse inward. Black smoke spiraled into the sky and blotted out the sun. A sweltering heat emanated from the flames on either side of the street as they engulfed the buildings. The air was hard to breathe and it choked Mei with smoke and ash. She ripped off the hem of her shirt and held it over her mouth as she stumbled ahead to try and get clear of the smoke and heat.
The scorched asphalt of the road was tacky and it stuck to the bottom of Mei’s shoes as she walked ahead. She felt numb. Her mind was racing and yet Mei could not find a single coherent thought. What had caused this? Why was it happening? Was she in danger? She kept walking forward, keeping her head low to try and avoid inhaling more smoke. She ambled aimlessly ahead until the smoke began to lessen and she could see ahead of her.
Looming over the street and beckoning her like a large finger against the sky was the Hopewell Centre. It seemed taller now that all the surrounding buildings had been leveled. In the midst of the carnage, its bomb battered exterior appeared pristine. Mei felt a strange pull towards the building.
As the smoke cleared, so did Mei’s mind. She paused and looked down at herself. She examined her hands and her legs before patting herself down. It was then that she realized that she was completely unharmed. The same fire that had melted her mother’s flesh like candle wax from her bones hadn’t even burned Mei. The explosion that had torn skyscrapers from their foundations and shattered them like glass hadn’t broken a single bone in her body.
Now that she was out of the blazing inferno she had once called her neighborhood, she noticed a different feeling. A comforting warmth spread through her body and she had no idea what it was. Her grief remained and the numb feeling. Her ears still rang but under it all was that strange feeling of comfort. Why was she alive?
Six.
“There were a fair number of souls to be collected here,” The Prince of Envy remarked.
“Indeed, Master. You made an excellent choice,” the Prince’s companion, the lesser Demon Hatred, replied deferentially.
“I know.” Envy replied.
From atop the Hopewell Centre, in its circular spire that once served as a restaurant, the Prince of Envy and its companion surveyed the wake of destruction from their arrival. The dark smoke from the multiple fires ignited by the blazing ascension of the Prince of Hell obscured the ground below.
“Almost reminds me of home,” Envy remarked. The lesser demon chuckled,
“Soon this will be our home,” it replied.
“Once my siblings are dealt with, indeed,” Envy paused, “Sonneillon, what is that down there?”
The two beings of Hell watched as a mortal emerged from the smoke. It appeared to be headed toward the building though it remained a few blocks away.
“Oooh, may I kill it, Master?” Hatred asked giddily.
“Sonneillon, simply killing the mortal doesn’t give me any entertainment. You know better,” Envy replied. Without exerting much effort, the Prince commanded time to bend to it. The sun faded into the darkness of night and a sickly crescent moon took its place.
The lesser demon took on the form of a grotesque monstrosity. A pointed snout jutted out with rows of jagged fangs. Sinuous muscle covered the wolflike body and glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness. Smoke poured from the belly of the beast, filtering out through its mouth.
“Let the hunt begin.” Envy said and Hatred vanished from the building.
Seven.
Mei blinked hard as the sun disappeared and night fell over the province. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden change in lighting and she immediately felt a sense of apprehension. Something wasn’t right.
She left the main road and began to weave through alleyways, keeping a lookout for anything that might be following her. She kept her focus on the Hopewell Centre to make sure that she didn’t get lost. Her heart raced in her chest.
As she emerged from another alleyway, something large landed in front of her. The black hulking mass smashed into the ground and sent her flying backwards. She landed hard on the concrete sidewalk and looked up. Glowing red eyes met her own and then the creature’s mouth split into a menacing grin. Acrid black sludge dripped down jagged yellowed fangs. Mei tried to scream but her voice got caught in her throat and she could only emit a strangled sort of gasp. Ignoring the pain in her backside, she stood and began to sprint towards the Hopewell Centre.
Hatred vanished into the night and reappeared in front of Mei. Mei leapt back from the creature and looked around to try and find an escape. She kept her eyes on it and walked backwards as the hellhound stepped towards her. Its massive paws left deep impressions seared into the concrete, steam rising and gooey asphalt pulling from the street with each step.
Mei knew her options were limited. She summoned up all the courage she could muster and ran directly at the demon. Her plan worked. The hellhound was caught off guard and she was able to run underneath it towards her destination. The heat emanating from its body hit her like a wave from an oven and she smelled smoke but she powered through.
Hatred whirled around as the mortal continued on her path to the Hopewell Centre. The demon felt a sense of embarrassment. It knew that it could not fail its master. Hatred reared back and pounced, soaring through the air with its mouth open ready to consume the girl. There was a burst of golden light and the demon was flung backwards. It smashed into the remains of a building and slid across the ground, leaving a crater where it finally landed.
Mei felt a tingling at the back of her neck and she instinctively knew that the creature was about to pounce on her. She continued running and the warm feeling inside her seemed to get stronger. She heard the monster sailing through the air and then the warm feeling seemed to explode out of her. She turned and looked in astonishment as the demon was flung backwards. Why did she keep surviving impossible situations?
Eight.
The Prince of Envy felt a growing sense of unease. The golden light that had burst from the mortal and repelled Sonneillon appeared to be divine power. How a mortal was harnessing such power was the question. Down below, Hatred transformed into a massive serpent and rapidly slithered towards the girl. Envy watched the demon coil and spring at her with its mouth opened wide and fangs aimed directly for her throat. The golden light burst forth from the mortal again and Sonneillon’s form dissipated. Now the Prince’s unease had given way to fear.
Sonneillon appeared beside its master.
“Get that girl away from the building,” Envy commanded. The lesser demon vanished from the room and reappeared outside in front of the mortal. She had nearly made it to the Hopewell Centre’s entrance. Envy channeled some of its own power to the lesser demon and Sonneillon transformed into a massive dragon, wings spread wide blocking the building from the mortal’s view.
Emboldened by the power flowing from its master, Hatred glared down at the small mortal in front of it. The demon spread its wings wide and threw back its head, gathering hellfire in its mouth. The girl was frozen in fear and Hatred felt confident in its chances this time. It looked down at her and spewed flames from its maw. The fire enveloped the girl.
Mei waited for death as flames poured over her from the mouth of the dragon. But it did not come. The flames bent around her and their heat did not burn her. There was no smell of burning flesh, no searing pain, and no smoke that filled her lungs. The flames dissipated and the dragon roared in frustration. It vanished back into the darkness. Mei took a breath. There was no explanation for what had just happened. There was no explanation for the last few hours of Mei’s life. She had survived a string of events that should have been impossible. The same string of events that had killed her parents and turned her province into a wasteland. Yet somehow, she was alive. Of the Chen family, she was the only one who was alive and the feeling of guilt was crushing. She knew she had to live for them.
Nine.
Sonneillon returned to Envy’s side with its head bowed in submission. The Prince felt a deep well of rage boiling inside him. The final interaction between the girl and the demon had confirmed that she was a Virtue. Specifically she was the Virtue of Generosity, the counter to the Vice of Envy. The Prince and the demon would be unable to kill her. She threatened their very existence on the mortal plane.
This was the worst possible scenario for the demon Prince. The Virtues were supposed to be extinguished not manifesting in the Prince’s territory. Envy was certain that none of its siblings would be dealing with a similar situation and the rage that the Prince felt began to explode outward in destructive fashion. Windows shattered and the building swayed as steel beams groaned under unseen pressure.
Thunder roared outside and the ground quaked. The pavement rippled and tore like paper, dumping Mei from the sidewalk onto the street. She looked up at the sky as it shifted from the deep blue of night into an ominous maroon. Shards of glass exploded out from the top level of the Hopewell Centre and cascaded onto the ground below. The smell of sulfur filled the air.
Mei tried to stand but the earthquake that roiled the ground beneath her kept her from regaining her footing. She crawled towards the door of the building. She was so close. She knew she couldn’t give up now.
The street below her gave way and she found herself falling. She grasped at the edges of the crater that had suddenly formed but her hands slipped off and she descended into a fiery pit. The air rippled from the heat as the flames embroiled her. Mei threw her arm over her eyes to shield them as she fell deeper and deeper into the unknown depths. Had this been what it felt like for Brolin the day he was buried? Did his spirit claw at the earth as it was tossed over his body? Mei imagined her family reaching out to her as she fell. She saw their smiling faces.
“I’m coming,” she whispered.