One for the Lives of Many

By: Brandon James Scott Scholl

Carrie walked into the center of the light. The last thing she could do to save themselves from the demons of the sky was to sacrifice herself. She turned to her friends as they stood and watched with nothing left to say. The goodbyes had been said and it was time to do the deed.

Tears rolled down her face as all the fun and excitement they had been through together. She was strong though. As she had started to walk towards the beams, she felt unsure, like she was doing something wrong. Now, however, she knew her choice was the right one.

As she started to decend into the air, she felt at peace. As her feet were pulled away from the ground and she floated towards the light, the pins on the grenades strapped to her jingled together. It was her last resort to save her friends, her family, and her people.

Two weeks ago the demons decended from the skies in their chariots of the air, wreaking havoc wherever they landed. People who had opposed them before had been slaughtered and left as examples for everyone to know they were not to be opposed. Both her mother and her sister ran with her in tow. Screams of both fear and pain rang out as they saved themselves. Yet, in the end, it wasn’t Carrie that was killed, it was her mother and her sister. The love and longing Carrie had for them grew stronger and stronger with each passing day since they were killed. Now, it was time to avenge them and return the favor to the monsters.

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Hannah stood by as both she and her sister watched in amazment and grief as their dear friend was being taken up into the demon’s chariot. Carrie had protected them and watched over them ever since the attacks had first started. Never once had she complained about those tasks.

Now, she was going to destroy the enemy along with herself. It was a decision she had made by herself and when she explained it, nobody challenged her. When she made a decision, it was final. They had all been part of a tearful goodbye.

They watched her levitate into the air until they could no longer see her. The bottom of the great chariot closed and Carrie was now inside. At that moment, everyone became silent, holding their breath as they waited for something to happen.

Then there was a brilliant eruption of orange and black as it blew up from the inside. Several fires had started and the glowing all around it had stopped. Hannah’s heart hurt as she realized that Carrie was not longer alive. The other three people that were with Hannah and her sister watched as the behemoth fell to the ground in smoke and flames.

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It had been two days since Carrie had given her life for her people. Within those two days, Hannah had been put in charge of the remainder of her people. Their future was secure now and they needed a leader. After discussion, they had decided that Hannah would be best for that position.

Now, she was watching as the remainder of the demons were climbing into their ships and leaving. Through the slaughters and the attacks, she had survived and continued to fight. With her actions as well as the actions of others, they had secured their future to continue to prosper and grow.

A feeling of both grief and happiness mixed within her. Many times had she heard that the lives of one outweigh the lives of many. Never had she thought she would ever have to see an event where that was true or put to action. She wondered if she was going to be strong enough, like Carrie, to be the leader of these people. She turned towards the village as everyone, young and old, worked to repairing homes and other areas to be livable again. She smiled as she watched them taking care of one another and the love they showed.

She looked back to the valley where the last of the ships were lifting off and leaving. They had won, and now, it was time to turn a new chapter in their history. A time when Man once again rised from the ashes and it’s perseverence paid off. Hannah looked up to the evening sky as the sun cast it’s final shadows on the world.

“This is for you, my friend. Thank you.”