[ NO MAN'S LAND! ]

Prologue

The Late Night Visit

[ Widening Gyre ]

" You're my daughter, Alfreda, I know you better than anyone, no matter how far you try to run from it. You've got your father's fire and my stubbornness, but you'd never let an innocent boy die. I need your hands, your heart—because I know, deep down, you'll do what's right. You always have. "

~ FIONA LARKIN to ALFIE TELFORD

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ALFREDA TELFORD tossed and turned in her bed, the sheets tangled around her legs, trapping her in a nightmare she couldn't escape. Sweat clung to her skin, soaking the fabric of her tank top, making it stick to her like a second skin. Her chest heaved with the weight of the dream pressing down on her, but she couldn't wake up no matter how hard she tried. 

The hum of helicopter blades sliced through the air, growing louder and louder, filling her ears until it was all she could hear. The sharp, metallic thrum of the chopper blades was punctuated by the screams. The desperate, blood-curdling screams of people she knew, people she was supposed to protect.

Alfie found herself on the battlefield again, her boots sinking into the dust and sand as chaos erupted around her. Gunfire crackled like fireworks in the distance, but closer, too close, she could hear the cries of children. They were huddled in the wreckage, eyes wide with fear, their faces streaked with dirt and tears. Alfie's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to reach them, her legs moving sluggishly, as if the ground itself was pulling her down, holding her back.

She turned her head just in time to see the first bomb drop. The explosion was deafening, a violent roar that sent shockwaves through her body. Fire erupted in the sky, a blinding light that consumed everything in its path. Alfie's breath caught in her throat as she saw her unit scattered, thrown like ragdolls across the field. Blood. There was so much blood.

"No!" Alfie gasped, her voice raw and broken in the dream, but it was drowned out by the chaos. She turned her head frantically, searching, her heart racing with dread.

Liam.

She saw him, just beyond the smoke and flames, waving her over. He was shouting something, but she couldn't hear him. Couldn't make out the words. The screams, the bombs, the roar of the helicopter were too loud. Her breath hitched as she pushed through the wreckage, limbs heavy, eyes stinging from the smoke.

She had to get to him. She had to.

Another explosion rocked the ground beneath her feet, and Alfie stumbled, her vision blurring. When she looked up, Liam was gone. Only the fire remained. The fire, and the bodies.

"LIAM, NO!" Alfie screamed, clawing at the air, trying to run, trying to move. But her legs were frozen. She couldn't reach him. She couldn't save him—she couldn't save any of them. The cries of the children pierced her ears, and the sight of their lifeless bodies ripped at her heart—it was all her fault.

Her lungs burned. Her chest tightened as the smoke filled her lungs, choking her. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. All she could see was fire. Blood. Death.

With a sudden, gasping breath, Alfie shot upright in bed, her body trembling violently. She was drenched in sweat, her hair plastered to her forehead, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to suck in air. Her eyes were wide, wild, darting around the room as if she were still on that battlefield, still searching for Liam, for the children.

But there was no fire. No bombs. No screams.

Only silence.

She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady her racing heart, but the pain of the dream lingered. It always did. Each time it felt real. Too real. The echoes of war clung to her like a shadow, following her even into the quiet darkness of her Belfast apartment.

Alfie wiped a trembling hand across her damp forehead, her breath hitching as she tried to calm herself. But the images—Liam's face, the children, the blood—flashed before her eyes, seared into her mind.

She could still hear the helicopter in the distance, still smell the smoke, still feel the heat of the fire against her skin. And even though she was awake now, there was no escaping the truth of what she had done. Of what she couldn't undo.

But suddenly, the silence was shattered by a frantic knock at the door. Alfie shot out of bed, grabbing her gun that lived permanently on her bedside dresser. Grasping it in her hand, her pulse quickening as she rushed down the narrow stairwell, the cold air from the drafty windows prickling her skin. Her apartment was on the bad side of town, tucked away where no one would come looking for her. Except, apparently, her mother.

Swinging open the door, Alfie froze, "Ma?! What the hell are you doing here?" she panicked, glancing over the woman's shoulder at the stark, wet streets.

Fiona stood there, her face pale under the streetlights, her hair damp from the heavy rain, eyes darting nervously behind her, "I'm sorry to bother you at this late hour, love, but we wouldn't be here if it wasn't urgent."

Alfie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "We?"

Fiona's gaze flicked to the street, "Kerrianne's in the car."

Alfie stepped out, the cold night air biting her skin as she glanced toward her mother's car. Her little sister, Kerrianne, waved at her from the front seat with a tight, scared smile.

Alfie turned back to Fiona, anger rising in her chest, "Are you out of your bloody mind?! What are you doing bringing her here? This is the first place he'll look for you!"

"I know," Fiona replied, a stern look crossing her features at her eldest daughter's tone. "But we need your help."

Fiona walked to the car, motioning for Alfie to follow her as she opened the back door, revealing a boy lying in the back seat, barely conscious, his face raw and burned; blood staining the upholstery.

Alfie's hand flew to her chest, "My God, what happened?"

"One of Jimmy's," Fiona said grimly. "Scuffle with the N.I. police. Cocktail blew up in his face. Jimmy wouldn't let him go to the hospital."

Alfie moved closer, her heart sinking as she looked at the boy, "Jesus Christ, Ma...he looks barely fifteen."

Fiona's eyes softened, but only for a moment, "Like I said, I wouldn't have come to you if it wasn't urgent."

Alfie straightened, her chest tight with old grudges and resentment, "What makes you think I'd risk my life to help you? After everything you've done to this family? Kerri barely knows who Pa is because of you. You let her be raised by that monster. I escaped that life, Ma. I'm not about to get dragged back into it."

She turned to leave, but Fiona's voice cut through the night, sharper than the cold, "You're my daughter, Alfreda. I know you better than anyone, no matter how far you try to run from it. You've got your father's fire and my stubbornness, but you'd never let an innocent boy die. I need your hands, your heart—because I know, deep down, you'll do what's right. You always have."

Alfie stopped, clenching her fists as the weight of her mother's words settled over her. With a heavy sigh, she turned back, "Come inside before someone sees you. Stash the car in the mill lot," she muttered as Fiona rushed to get Kerrianne out of the car.

Kerrianne stumbled over to her sister, her eyes wide with panic. She grabbed Alfie's arm tightly, her voice shaky, "Jimmy'll know we're gone by now. He'll come looking for us. He'll kill Ma for this, Alfie!"

Alfie cupped her sister's face, wiping away the tears that spilled over her cheeks, "I got word from Pa. He's coming to Belfast with some American friends. He'll be here soon. He'll deal with Jimmy. He'll keep us safe, I promise you. That bastard will never hurt us again."

Kerrianne nodded, swallowing hard, "Okay."

Alfie hugged her sister tightly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "I love you, sis."

"I love you too," Kerrianne whispered, her voice fragile as she pulled away and hurried into the house.

Fiona lingered by the car, her eyes filled with doubt, "You really believe that?"

Alfie narrowed her eyes at her mother, her voice full of disdain, "You might've lost faith in Pa, but I never did. He loves us, Ma. He won't let anyone harm his family." She cast a glance at the injured boy, "Hurry. We don't have much time."

Together, they hoisted the boy inside. Time was ticking, and Alfie knew her world was about to be another war zone and she was stuck in No Man's Land. Again. 

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Words: 1475