Post by Adrian Bennett on Oct 16, 2015 20:31:59 GMT
Adrian J. Bennett
Age twelve
They didn't have to tell him. The moment he heard the screaming, he knew. He sat up in his bed, his entire body tense as he listened. It was amazing that he could even hear anything, considering how loudly his heart was hammering inside his chest. His brown eyes scanned the room, slowly at first. He could see the figure of his sister in the make-shift bed next to him. She appeared to be sleeping, but he couldn't be sure. Swallowing, he pulled the blankets off of him and placed his naked feet against the cool floor.
There it was again. The shrilling screams. As if someone was so terrified and in so much pain they didn't know what to do.
It caused a shiver to run down his spine and goosebumps to appear all over his skin. He was terrified. Downright terrified, but he couldn't think about that now. His parents had already talked this over with him. He knew what to do.
Walking over to his sister's bed as silently as he could, he leaned over her and shook her shoulder. She groaned and mumbled something, and Adrian shushed her. She furrowed her brows as she turned to look at him, sitting up with a yawn. Then, as the third scream echoed through the building, she tensed, her eyes widening as she stared up at her brother. Adrian looked down at her, his eyes grave and serious in the dark room. "We have to go," he said, but he knew he didn't have to. His sister nodded and pulled the blanket up. They both froze as they heard the sound of a loud crash outside their bedroom door.
Their bedroom was a small room, big enough to fit two make-shift beds, which was nothing more than a mattress on the floor and some woolen blankets, but there was little room for anything else.
The door opened and someone stepped inside. Hurriedly, Adrian yanked at his sister's wrist and pulled her behind him. He could feel her tiny hands clutch at his shirt. He could already feel the sweat damp his forehead. The person stood still for a moment, facing the door before it turned. "Be quiet," the person said and Adrian heard his sister whisper, "Dad!" She looked over Adrian's shoulder, her hand still clutching his shirt. "Come with me," their father said and turned towards the door. Adrian wanted to ask about their mom, but he knew there was little point -- or rather, they didn't have the time. Their mother was a strong woman and she could fend for herself. Or so Adrian hoped anyways. They both scrambled towards their father, hiding behind him as he reached for the door. "Be ready to run," he said and opened the door.
The next couple of seconds happened in a flash. Adrian saw light - which, when he thought back, reminded him of fire. There were people everywhere. People he knew, and people he didn't. His brown eyes desperately scanned the many faces of both survivors and Doomed in hope that he'd see his mother. But he didn't. And before he knew it, he was standing outside the house, several feet away, looking at the blazing home and the various shades struggling and moving inside the windows. His father put his hand on his shoulder and pressed his thin lips together. "Stay here and watch over your sister," he said. "But--" Adrian began, but his father caught him off. "Stay here and watch over your sister!" he repeated, impatiently. Adrian simply nodded.
And with that, his father was gone. He could feel his sister behind him, her face pressed against his back. Her tears making his shirt damp. Adrian swallowed hard, unable to keep his eyes off of his father. He was running towards the house, probably in hopes to find their mother, still alive and still... He couldn't even finish the thought as another Doomed - in its last stage from the looks of it entered the house right behind their father, and that was when Adrian knew.
Him and his sister were never going to see their parents again.
He didn't know how he knew. He just did. Maybe he'd already grown jagged and jaded, cynical towards the world around him. Maybe it was early paranoia setting in. In the end, it didn't matter. He was right.
His parents didn't come back. They were dead.
