Something like a storm - Chapter 1

The embers of my dreams faded away before I reluctantly opened my eyes. My eyes drifted to my clock. The pink numbers told me that it was 6:30.

I sighed longing to sleep just a bit more. Slowly the drowsiness disappeared. My mind sharpened and focused. My hair braided in cornrows was starting to get messy. My dark brown oval face started back at me with slightly pronounced eye bags. The school uniform hung up waiting for me. I felt the urge to go on my phone yet, I ignored knowing it would waste precious minutes that I sadly didn’t have.

Hearing footsteps outside my door, I prepared myself for someone to peek their head through my door. As always it was dad, once he saw that I was awake, he closed it again leaving me in silence. I didn’t want it. It made me think. I groaned and closed my eyes as my head reminded me of what I had to face today.

Him.

I laughed -my hands covering my eyes- as I repeated in my head my thoughts. My mind hated the actions I took. Trusting too much then backing away a toxic trait but, what else did I have to defend myself?

Opening my leaves patterned blinds, I was suddenly blinded by the bright white light. Squinting my eyes, I gradually opened them, allowing them to adjust. I saw the flowers I had once used to make perfume surrounding my garden. I smiled at the memories when life simply was. I walked away from my window. The rest of the day passed with me having tragically, forced flashbacks.

As always everyone was walking home through the field, but then something unexplainable happened. I noticed that people further ahead were getting shot. Where there were 5 now walked 4. People started screaming, swearing that they had seen people behind the trees with large AK guns.

I froze.

My heart was beating at the cages of my ribs. A river of adrenaline hammered at the walls of my arteries like a cheetah running. My breath- now irregular- hitched. My brain slugged through the process of understanding, shutting down. Just as quickly I woke up, one thought reverberated through my head. Run.

My brain wanting to survive was only focused on one thing. Escaping, but my soul, my nature called me to help my friends. To search for them. To save them. Others. Strangers I didn’t know. I was the first out of all my friends to leave school. I scream at everyone to run. This was the first time I was hearing myself scream. It was weird. I could hear it echo through the field.

On and on.

People looked at me with weird gestures. Their eyebrows frowning. Others looked up from their phones, trying to see why it was so tranquil, and saw the mass crowd running towards them, they froze for a split second. At that moment, I could see confusion, surprise, shock and horror on their faces transitioning smoothly into each other. Then there was a stampede. Individuals were racing to get out. People who tripped cried out for help but, almost nobody stopped to help them.

I saw this girl who had fallen. Blonde. Blue eyes. Glasses. It took a second before recognition kicked in. Fiera. If this was a movie, she would have been labelled as the school popular slightly mean girl. If this was a movie, this would have been ironic and heroic. If this was a movie, I would have no should have left her. But it wasn’t. I didn’t. Her arms reached out to me. Tears ran down her face. She gasped and mouthed Help. I saw her foot stuck under a rock. I pull with all my strength. She cried out in pain as I pulled her. I fell. Her feet reddish-blue and swollen. She cried, thank you over and over again. Her tears now like waterfalls. I held her hand as we ran towards the green gate. It looked like a sanctuary. My eyebrow frowned at the tens of people. I looked around and noticed that we weren’t at the back but in the middle. I drew a breath and counted myself as lucky.

As we got closer and closer to the gate, space became more and more crowded. Soon the air became humid with the sweat and tears. Pushing and shoving threatened to break my hand holding Fiera. She was still crying. It was only then that the adrenaline in my blood had given out. I was involved in a kidnapping. My eyes squinted at the fact, nose scrunched turning eyes glossy. My hands went to my face automatically wiping any tears that had escaped. My disbelief now went to horror and panic. Fiera looked at me and squeaked my hand. Somehow it convinced me that we would make it out alright. We walked, following the people ahead of us. The adrenaline had faded and soon everything seemed grey. My throat burst to acknowledge what had just happened. To have this afternoon not happen. We both sustained each other. Not physically but mentally, the damage done was something akin to a nuclear explosion..... With my mind shutting down.