Corruption of Ambition | Sejanus Plinth

Tweleve

Riyana's vision flickered as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She could only make out that she was lying on the ground amidst a series of bomb explosions. The deafening ringing in her ears drowned out the blasts, creating a disorienting and overwhelming sensation. The vibrations in her eardrums further added to the confusion, making it extremely difficult for Riyana to focus and maintain her grasp on consciousness.

As the final bomb went off, Riyana felt the ground tremble beneath her, causing her to be buried under a pile of rubble. The mixture of dirt and ash invaded her nostrils, making it difficult to breathe. With the weight of the concrete pressing down on her chest, Riyana's breaths became shallow and nearly non-existent. In that moment, a wave of realization washed over her - she was facing the imminent threat of death.

Even though she knew she should try to push the rocks off her and call out for help, Riyana found herself unable to move. The voices in the background grew fainter with each passing moment until everything faded to black, and she heard nothing.

It was a peace keeper that found her minutes later, yelling to another to help remove the rubble.

"Does she have a pulse?" One called out.

Riyana felt the man's hand against her neck but she was too exhausted to make any sort of movement.

"Barely." The other responded.

Riyana felt herself being lifted off the ground and slung over someone's shoulders. The acrid smell of burning filled her nostrils, mingling with the uncomfortably hot air as she was carried out of the arena.

"Ana!"

The voice was barely audible over the ringing in her ears, but despite her barely conscious state she felt her chest warm at the voice.  She could not even recognize it, but if she was going to die she knew her name on the person's lips was what she wanted to hear as she left.

The sounds of footsteps came closer and each sound of foot hitting the concrete felt like it would shatter Riyana's ear drums. She just wanted to hear whoever it was say her voice again, she desperately wanted that sweet sound vibrating her brain. Instead she heard the sound of sirens and a door slam shut.

As Riyana woke up on a table under a bright light, she blinked harshly, feeling her head throbbing. Desperately wanting to sleep, she was startled by the doctors crowding around her, bombarding her with questions. The smell of chemicals made her queasy, and before she could answer anyone's question, she rolled onto her side and vomited up blood.

When she finally awoke, and really awoke, it was the next day. Beatrice sat in a chair just a few feet away, and her puffy cheeks and red eyes showed she had been crying for hours. Beatrice quickly stood up, and leaned over Riyana.

"You're awake, dads here, working, I'm going to go tell him you're awake." She quickly rambled.

Beatrice stopped at the door, her hand gripping the handle. "The plinth boy is here, out in the hallway. He wasn't allowed in without your permission since he's not family."

"You can let him in." Riyana said, and grimaced at how dry her voice sounded.

Moments after Beatrice left, Sejanus entered, still in his school uniform with ash covering his skin and clothes. It seemed as though he had spent the night out there.  Riyana shook her head at the thought - he had probably just had to stay overnight himself and came to check on her before leaving.

"Ana," he said.

Hearing those syllables leave his lips, Riyana sat up, recognizing the same voice that had called out to her before the ambulance. It was a voice that sounded so sweet, she thought she would be okay with dying if she could just hear it one more time.