Walking Through The Beginning and The End

For years after the town’s favorite couple, Alex Coulson and Maize Ivy got married, they were desperate to have a child. A family. Young ones they could call their own and love unconditionally unlike their own parents did to them. Finally, after two years, the young woman bore their first and only child. Their daughter whom they named Hillarie. Hillarie Marie Coulson. Oh how her parents loved and cherished her. She had all of the attitude and neverending ambition of her father but had the hair, eyes, smile and heart of her mother and oh how that pleased the young father. For those were his favorite features of his wife.

To the happy couple, the girl was absolutely priceless. They would do any and everything to protect her from the dangers of the world outside their door. They allowed her to lead a seemingly normal life playing on the town playgrounds, attending a preschool, going out for dinners and family breakfasts, though, Grandma and Grandpa hardly ever came around. Only her father’s parents came to see her and help out when they could. At one time, she even had a brother. Adopted, since her parents couldn’t have any more children naturally after her birth. He was named Elias. Elias Henry Coulson. They were the best of friends and close as they could possibly be.

On August 18th, 2012, when the children were the mere age of 7, everything took an unexpected turn. A raid took place in the town. That was the day everything fell apart.

The surrounding towns and cities were attacked first and finally, the battle ended with the small town of Misty Grove. Their town. For what purpose, the children did not know. But everyone else seemed to be aware. Fathers piled their families into the storm cellars, mothers took to the roads in their cars. Devestation rang in the highest and loudest note that afternoon. When Alex finally came back to his home to check on his family, he burst into the living room, hearing the screams of his wife and cries of their children. In his midst of protecting the town and the people in it, a small entourage of the enemy managed to sneak in through the back of the town through the woods and cause their mayhem that way.

“Release her!” he demanded strongly. His strength never waivered for a second. He had to stay strong, even if he was dying to cry inside.

“Tell us where the institution is, give us the girl, and we’ll let you all go.” Their demands seemed simple. But to the family, it wasn’t that simple. This information was about as secret and safekept as the President of the United States.

“We’ll never tell,” the young woman said, grinning cunningly at the man questioning her. She was being restrained around her neck by the arm of a strong and burly man. The children were attempting to keep quiet in their hiding spots their mother had put them in. Young Hillarie kept her hand clamped over her mouth and little Elias had tried his best but his sniffles and whimpers gave him away the moment the whole ordeal started in their home. One of the other men in the room held the boy in his arms, a knife pressed to his small neck.

“I believe you,” the interrogator said, brandishing his own smirk as he waved his hand to the man restraining the woman.

“No!” Alex shouted. But it was too late. Just as he reached for his own weapon, a loud rumble of thunder mixed with the heart wrenching scream of his wife and son. Everthing seemed to move in slow motion as he watched them crumple to the floor. He too had been wounded. Shot in the chest. He managed to crawl over to the two wounded family members, not bothering to hide the tears pouring from his eyes. But he didn’t care about his own injury. He cared about his wife and son. His son was dead. That hurt worse than the bullet wound on his body. He moved onto his knees, attempting to apply pressure to the wound of his wife. A large knife had been plunged into her stomach.

“Mae...” he choked out with a sob, not knowing how to help her. He knew she was dying but he wouldn’t believe it. He refused to believe it.

“My love, it’s okay. It’s okay...” she sputtered. Then she said nothing. No more choking, no more labored breathing. No more breathing at all. It was too late. She was gone. His dearest beloved was gone. He hadn’t been able to help her quick enough by the time the enemies had took off out of the house. But he didn’t mourn very long before his life was also claimed by his own injuries.

The girl hiding in the coat closet by the front door slowly exited, her eyes wide with horror at the scene in the room before her. The pool of blood her mother, brother and father lay in was too much for her to take in. She didn’t understand. How could someone do this without a care in the world? But she did not get to ponder her thoughts and take in the scene for very long before she was swooped away into someone’s arms, forcing her head to look away as she was rushed out of the house and into a car. Her grandparents. Her father’s parents.

While the town had indeed won the battle that day, there was no festival nor celebration that night. For their dead and grief was far beyond their count of joy and victory. The darkness of that day never truly left. It seemed to mirk over the town and its inhabitants. Hence the creation of the new name that the town bore over the remaining years; Mirkwood Pines. From that day on, Misty Grove has been lost to the shadows of the people’s hearts and Mirkwood Pines became the new beginning and the end.