Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 3 2018 | Page 216

Journey to Hope
Renaissance College Hong Kong, Ho, Minhee - 11
A
gunshot. The deafening boom , the feeling of dread as the bullet spun towards its target. A rip as it
tore through skin. A crack as it shattered the skull. It took a moment for the pain to seep in. Then a
high-pitched, barbaric scream, exploding agony, and spilling blood.
A heavy thud .
Another life lost. Another one dead.
Then silence. Nothing. The nothingness of life moving on, of time continuing.
Later, words would be spoken. Words that hurt. Words that wounded. Floating chunks of despair. Horror,
violence, darkness. A crying mother. A weeping sister. A desperate father.
Infinite gunshots.
Bones cracked. Skin tore. Blood dripped. A hailstorm of bullets. Each shot brought pain, death, and more
darkness.
Boom.
Thud.
Silence.
*****
The cold bit Scimmia’s bare flesh, covering her skin with goosebumps. The snow swirled around her,
blocking her vision. Blindly, she staggered forward, trying to follow the sound of Monje’s footsteps.
“When can we stop walking?” Piggy whined, groaning with each step he took. Piggy’s real name was Hen
Pang, but because of his portly figure, Piggy soon became his nickname.
“Stop complaining, Pig,” Scimmia snapped, shooting Piggy a glare.
“It’s not like you’re so skinny!” Piggy retorted.
“At least I’m skinnier than you!”
Piggy was about to speak, but was interrupted.
“Stop bickering!” Monje snapped, turning around to scowl at both Scimmia and Piggy.
“Why is this stupid journey so hard?” Piggy moaned, switching the subject.
“Stop whining, you fat boar!” Scimmia barked.
Piggy pouted, his fat lips jutting out.
“Stop sulking!” Scimmia reprimanded. But secretly, she had to agree with Piggy. The journey was hard. It
was long, dangerous, and difficult.
The snow was blinding, and many times, the group had to stop travelling, to wait for it to clear. Shootings
and air raids were extremely common, and they were constantly having to find shelters to avoid being shot
or bombed. They were also running out of supplies. It was the thieves. They were constantly taking the
group’s money and food, leaving them struggling for survival.
Piggy continued to groan. “How long do we have to walk?”
“Suck it up, hog!” Scimmia said.
But after a couple more minutes of Piggy’s complaining, the trio decided to stop for the night.
Scimmia, Piggy, and Monje were all from the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty had been battling for
decades, in fact, they were the cause for World War Three. The Tang people were angry. They wanted
change.
But gradually, as the war bore on, the Tang people became weary of fighting. Too many deaths. Too much
pain. Too much loss. It wasn’t worth it.
Finally, after years of deliberation, the Tang King had decided to offer a peace treaty to the other country,
and end the War. He had chosen three people to deliver the treaty: Scimmia, Monje, and Piggy.
Comment [1]: Too much death