Right before the war, Maryam found out alone that she contracted the radiation sickness. It wasn't a shock, not really- growing up on the outskirts of Shargrav Conveni, she had seen it many times to people just like her. The poor ones, the weak ones; those who lived in solitude, who couldn't afford the proper shelters recently built to withstand the sandstorms and solar flares.
She was forced into some kind of quarantine in an underfunded, grungy hospital. The walls of her room were a sickly shade of green, and she could never tell if it was from the lights that buzzed, or if the paint had yellowed and faded that color. It was nauseating to look at, almost maddening as it becomes the only color she sees for the next five months.
In between treatments that never worked, Maryam would listen to the radio. She heard the stories of what was going on outside of her four seasick green walls, breaking up her days of monotony with new tales of horror. Soldiers being deployed to Nun Svetgrad, and none coming back.
It hadn't been a secret that there was something... strange going on across the desert. All communications with Nun Svetgrad had been cut almost a year ago to the date, the entire nation going radio silent. And it seemed nobody could get in, or if they did, they weren't coming back. For a long time, the government officials wrote these claims off as rumors- but the silence had stretched on too long. Soon, soldiers started being deployed; at first it was to offer aid, but when none would return they started sending more troops with more and more weapons.
Maryam would often fantasize about joining the troops, crossing that harsh desert and uncovering the seemingly sudden disappearance of the people of Nun Svetgrad. It was these daydreams, these fantasies, that kept her entertained in her seven months in quarantine. The only people she saw anymore were the doctors and nurses; they were always dressed in protective gear, masks and rubber clothes. Over time, she stopped thinking of them as doctors, nurses- it was more fun to think of them as aliens. Or angels sent to Mars just for her. Her saviors dressed in silver and grey.
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The first bomb was dropped on the hottest day of 3XXX, in the darkness of night.
Maryam had been asleep, but was quickly awoken by the bright flash in her window. Distantly, she could hear the loud rumbling, and foolishly thought it was an oncoming acid storm. Then there was another flash- closer this time. This time, she could feel something happening. The sea sick walls shook around her, or maybe the whole building was shaking.
It wasn't long before an angel ran into the room- he wasn't even wearing the radiation suit Maryam knew they were supposed to wear. She was shocked, to say the least, to see one of them disguised as a human this time. He has short blonde hair, a clean shaven face and kind eyes. He's sort of beautiful, even as he speaks and no sound comes from his mouth. Whatever he is saying must be important, because he doesn't wait for her to answer before pulling the various IVs out of her arms and pulling her out of the bed.
She is led by the angel, who she learns is named Damek, out of the hospital. She doesn't even care about the large crowd in the hospital, full of angels escorting the other patients out of the building, because this is the first she's left that room in seven months. It was overwhelming, and her legs were so weak from bed rest that she could barely walk anymore.
Maryam and the rest of the patients were led outside, and Maryam suddenly realized that something was very, very wrong. The angels wouldn't let her leave the hospital without a good reason.
The streets are filled to the brim with people, not just angels and patients. Children crying, people with their trunks and totes trying to rush further into the city. The angel Damek quickly reentered the hospital once he deemed Maryam far enough away from the building, and she was left to wonder on her own. It was jarring being outside after so long, and it was so chaotic- so different than the quiet streets she had walked before her quarantine.
She took just two steps before she noticed the flashing projection in the sky. Big, bold letters that read;
[ EVACUATE ]
Maryam watched the word flash a few times, before she looked at the streets around her. The people running, screaming and crying, and decided that it would be best to run with them. She didn't get far with her weak legs, barely made it a block inwards to the Inner Circle, before another explosion.
It was closer this time. Much closer.
The light blinded her, and all she could hear was a high pitched ringing in her ears. She regained her vision just long enough to realize she was on the ground now, flat in her back. The ringing was so loud- so loud, and she looked up to the sky. She sees the vague shadow of a man standing over her, before everything goes dark.
