Desolate

Daleh looked at the ruins and the burnt buildings ,he covered his nose to prevent the putrid smell coming from the corpses littered on the streets to nauseate. He picked his way carefully to avoid stepping on any of them. He tried to comprehend what had happened in his hometown , he checked every house for survivors but there seemed to be none. They had all been massacred. Warm tears slowly made their way down his face, he couldn’t move anymore as he looked at the state of his town full of murdered people.

He didn’t know what to do anymore and turned to leave but he was confronted by the piercing stare of an old man. He screamed and moved back in shock.

“Who are you?”

The old man shook his head and sighed.

“I am once a part of this people, people who held onto hope that you will come back to save them.”

Daleh gasped.

“What happened here?”

The old man turned his back on him.

“The enemies attacked, they didn’t want any spoils, they just wanted to kill everything and make the town desolate. Since the people were helpless and couldn’t fight back, they hoped you will be back to save them. They waited for fourteen days but they were conquered and the enemies breached the gates, they spared no one and no property, they set everything ablaze. You are too late young man. If you had been here a week ago, this place would not have become desolate. Everything is ruined, you are too late.”

Daleh cried bitterly.

“It’s all my fault I should have been here earlier, it’s my fault.”

The old man shook his head and walked away from him whispering,

“you are too late” till he

vanished.