d6 . maggie throe

m a g g i e .

AThe world is covered by our trails
Scars we cover up with paint
Watch them preach in sour lies

Maggie Throne loved sex. She didn’t like it for the sheer pleasure it could bring -although that was one hell of a bonus, she loved the power. The feeling of being in control over a man as she shoved them onto her bed and straddled them. She loved the rush of feeling their heart race as she touched their chest, fingers slowly edging their way down past their belly button and towards the waistband of their pants.

She hated it when her father came knocking on her bedroom door asking if he could meet her new friend. It was impossible to miss the humour that infiltrated his voice, and she could picture his devious smile on the other side, knowing he had caught her before she could get herself into trouble. As she pulled her white tank back on and ushered the boy to the door, she would always find him waiting, leaning against the wall. He’d spare the boy a quick nod, before reaching out his hand and introducing himself. “Mags told us you were helping her study for your next exam,” he’d say, each word knowingly acknowledging their real intentions.

”Although, I appreciate her attentiveness with her studies, I know she’s the top of her class,” he’d give the boy a once over, folding his arms over his chest. “And you, definitely do not look like you could be of any help.” Moments later the boy would be scuttling down the stairs, hushed out of the front door where her mum would peer over the book she was reading to shake her head. Mags would meet her mum's gaze, shrugging as if to say ‘oh well, I tried’ before giving her a quick smile.

On the way back to her room she’d bump into her dad who would sigh, ”come on, Mags, how many times do I have to tell you not in the house.” She hadn’t actually intended to sleep with Damien tonight, but he was one of the more attractive guys at her school, and a girl had needs and desires that needed to be fulfilled. “I’m sorry, dad-”

”It’s not that I don’t get it, it’s just that the house is full, everyone's here-”

Okay, dad, stop,” the embarrassment blossomed across her cheeks, her tanned skin radiating with redness. “I get it, it won’t happen again, let’s just end this convo here,” she brushed past him, avoiding eye contact. She heard him laugh, the sound soon fading as she moved up the stairs. Opposite her room was her twin sisters, Ryan looked up as she walked past, contempt evident in the glare she threw her. At least now she knew who had snitched. Maggie tossed her the bird, giving her a quick defiant tongue poke before slamming her bedroom door shut.

m a g g i e .

When a human strokes your skin
That is when you let them in
Let them in before they go
I would rather feel alive with a childlike soul

Their house was a weird one, tucked into the district's manufacturing centre. It had been a necessity, her mum working in the neighbouring research lab. It was easy enough for her to run back and forth, making sure her experiments were in tip-top shape, living so close. Maggie didn’t find it that appealing being sandwiched between factories. It could get loud and annoying, but she knew how much it meant to her mum, and her dad was happy that he had more time to spend with her.

The groceries were piled into her arms, she’d forgotten to bring a bag with her. So she juggled them, praying that if she dropped anything it wouldn’t be the egg carton.

She was almost halfway home when the explosion happened.

It burst into the air, tearing into the space and knocking her over. Everything went flying, and the breath was knocked from her lungs as she landed on the ground. Her head collided with the gravel, and a burst of pain exploded in her skull. For a moment she forgot that her lungs weren’t working, feeling tears spring to her eyes as the pain caused stars to dance across her vision. Gasping for air, she moved a shaking hand over to her head, tentatively touching the spot that had been hit. She flinched, pulling away instantly as a new wave of pain had her scrambling to a sitting position so she could hurl her lunch onto the side of the road.

What had happened.

The world spun, and she stared at the mess before her, waiting for it to slow down, the ringing in her eyes was momentarily forgotten as another explosion occurred. It was so close to her that she was able to see the bloom of smoke rise up, terrifyingly grey against the evening sky. Debris rained down around her, and that’s when she froze.

Their house was just down that next street.

Her head spun, screaming at her in a vicious protest that sent sharp stabs of pain down her skull as she stood. She cried out, feeling the sticky warmth of her blood trail it’s way down her neck. It’d be fine, it had to be fine, there was no way a goddamn bomb had been dropped on her house. Her dad-

She stumbled, almost falling as another wave of pain hit her. This time the followup turned into a sob as she moved, urging her body to go faster.

Her dad, no she couldn’t lose him, he was her person. She relied on him for everything. And Sammy -Sammy would be at home, sitting in his room, working through his practice questions. He'd come down when she got home to ask her if she'd bought him his favourite snack and she'd hand it to him. Of course she had, she always did. Ryan, her twin sister, had she returned home? Or was she still out on her errand? The last thing she had said to her sister was 'fuck off' that couldn't be the last thing she said to her. She pictured the door to the study, the one that she had walked past, the one she hadn’t opened. Why hadn’t she said goodbye? Another sob escaped her lips, she was getting closer, she was so close. Just around that corner, it’d be right there, just past this next building it’d-

Nothing.

There was nothing, dust billowed around, the rubble. Where her home had once been was the side of the research wing that mum had worked in.

"No," the word was hoarse, as frail as her legs. They couldn't hold her anymore, and she fell to her knees, a hand reaching up to her face. It's not real, it's not real-

They were all gone.