Connor Murphy, Period 7, 3/18/22

Smoke. When I wake all I can smell is smoke. I can hear my name being screamed out. The mixture of sleep and smoke clouding my senses keeps me from recognizing anything else as something I could understand. Then it sets in. The adrenaline spikes through my body before I can even fully understand what has happened. I jump out of my bed, it’s softness no longer a comfort but a trap, and rush to the door. There is no time to grab anything, to rationalize, or at this point to even breathe. I am met with the sight of fire blocking the hall, in a frantic panic I hop over the rail to the floor below. It hurts. A lot. I feel as if every bone in my legs have been turned to a fine jelly, but I manage to get up. There I see my mother and Cian, both as rattled as I am.

“Where’s father?” I yell through the smoke clouding my lungs.

“He went off to make sure no one would stop us.” My mother responds, shaking from the sight of her home crumbling to ash.

“I have to find him, '' I shouted running past my family through the open door into the open. That's when I see it, my father is in combat with a man from the village. Something comes over me in the moment, watching the collision of blades and hearing the metal clink causes me to react. I let out a welp, squeal, or whatever you want to call the high-pitched yell I released. Then it all slows down, the moment extends for what felt like an hour. I watch, almost as if I was being punished by God for what I was about to cause. My fathers head turns to see if his first born son has been hurt or attacked, or whatever else. However, it’s just me, standing alone with no reason to have done what I’ve done. Before he even gets the chance to return to his focus, the sound of blade through flesh pierces the ears of all those within the range of the noise. With a solid thud my father falls to the ground. The culprit turns and runs, he had the morals to kill a father defending his family but killing the child was too far for him. As fast as I can I call for my family to come outside and run over to my father. In his dying breath he attempts to speak to me.

“Art, my amazing son, take my sword and keep your mother and brother safe, make it to the ship”

I respond, shaken to my core “I-I didn’t… I didn’t want”

“Just take this and go now!” He cuts me off, knowing that we have no time for waste.

So I took it all in, I couldn’t save my father from the fate I doomed him to have, so I would save the rest of us to avenge him.