Rats are cool. Nimble, smart, and willing to do what it takes, right?
The rubble was fine-grained.
The way it slid through his fingers made him think of sand. Not desert sand, but real sand, on a real shore, with water that made your mouth pucker.
Water... Am I underwater? I can't breathe.
Dust sucked into his lungs, causing him to cough violently.
He could taste the ash that made its way inside his mouth, and the rubble around him smelled how it looked.
Dry.
His tattered hands stroked his face as he sat himself upright. Small vibrations shook the ground beneath him as he tried to focus his blurred vision.
No water... then why can't I hear?
A streak of blood flowed down the edge of his chin. He raised his hands to his ears and tapped the inside of them lightly.
It hurts...
Muffled sounds of explosions thundered around him. Large boulders toppled houses, fires crippled their structural support, and groans of agony echoed from each one. All as he sat in the middle of it.
"L- Leo?"
The small boy rose to his feet as the fog slowly receded from his mind. Crippling pain sank deep into his chest as he stood before the collapsed structure. A wooden symbol of a goddess outlined in ivory lay broken in front of him—split crudely in the middle.
His vision became clearer, and he began to search for something, or someone.
He limped around, attempting to lift any large planks, rocks, or wood that he could. The cuts on his hands ripped deeper than before with every desperate pull.
"H- help..."
"H- HELP ME!" He screamed.
A loud explosion sent his head ringing as sound began to reclaim his ears once again. Aching spread through his muscles from the sudden vibrations—back to the ground, he fell.
No one answered.
The wasteland around his home lay flat and desolate. Each building was toppled by boulders or consumed by fire.
Why is this happening? What even happened?
Shouts of soldiers thundered past him as silver armor rushed toward the gates.
An attack?
His focus shifted back to the rubble beneath his feet as his desire to search for signs of life increased.
Amy, Paul, Garrison, Leena, Mikey, Lee-
Adrenaline surged as the gravity of the situation became increasingly clear. He spotted the first piece of rubble he thought he could lift and crawled to it.
Leveraging himself on his knees, he forced himself up once again.
"...Paul, Garrison, Leena, Mikey-"
He mumbled to himself as he peeled the plank from the ground. His mumbles turned to grunts as he struggled to lift the wood. Slowly, it let itself free from the ground, rising higher and higher.
The boy pulled with all his might as his cuts began to show bone. Tendons in his fingers tore from within.
His eyes widened as he looked down. Extended out from beneath the rubble was a hand. The sight only pushed him further beyond his limits.
He quickly tossed the plank aside, only to find a mangled cadaver of a matron fallen at his feet.
The side of her face caved inwards, and her jaw ripped to the side. She was cannon fodder under the weight of the building.
He stumbled backward as his eyesight became spotty. Air seemed to escape him.
Screams echoed throughout the battlefield as thoughts of his family being crushed flashed through his mind.
He mumbled to himself.
"Amy, Paul, Garrison, Leena."
Each name he spoke only labored his breath more.
"Mikey, Lee, Julia, Leo-"
Scream after scream around him only intensified his gasping.
Gasp after gasp until finally... black.