With a gasp my eyes took in the freefalling unmanned drone. It streaked overhead to then seconds later pulverize itself against the one side of the stony protecting border of the village.
It exploded terrifically, as all the ordinance it had been carrying with it went up in the blast of its crash into the rocks. If I hadn't ordered for the volcano to be blown that predator drone even now would be blowing the villagers apart within the walled confines of their own village.
What did it matter now though how my adopted people were to meet their fate? At least this way I was managing to take out our would-be killers and spoil the plans of the world elite, who had intended to occupy and build beachside condominiums, while the world on the surface fell apart.
That was at least something. I found that small solace though right now, as ash began to fall all around me, in the gathering darkness as the orange glow of the horizon receded farther and farther away.
Something else terrible and yet awesome to behold was transpiring now. Rolling cracks and groans of rock under pressure began to sound out loudly, only it wasn't the ground beneath my feet. It was the ceiling of this inner world.
Oh God it was all going to collapse!
Just then to make everything even more terrible a little hand slipped into mine. Looking down in startlement I beheld Sheatera standing there.
I didn't yell at her for not going with the others as what point would there have been to even doing that, but it was heartrending to know this bright little life was about to be extinguished before it had the opportunity to bloom and produce seed of its own. Kneeling down as the groaning cracks and grumbles of overlying rock sounded louder and louder I took the scarf off that had encased my chest and afforded me some modesty while there had been a time for such things and wrapped it about Sheatera's face.
The ash was falling heavy now. The little girl was trying to be brave, but death is a hard thing to accept. I pulled her to me as chunks of rock the size of cars and buses began to fall and shake the ground so hard as to nearly topple us over onto the sand.
A familiarly large handed grip seized my arm and not being fully able to believe it, but with little else choice but to, I found myself being drug into the surf that was washing farther and farther ashore as the rocks above fell into the harbor. It was getting very dark and hard to see anything at all.