Rise

Chapter 1•

          The boom is what brings me back to my senses. A cloud of dust just settles as the crack of an object in the air zooms off at a speed that pops my ears. I was still a little woozy. Enough so that I didn't even notice I was standing in a pile of rubble, than a little comes back to me. I remember having to evacuate the town because of reports of an unidentified aircraft heading in a direction towards this area.

          I'm scanning my brain trying to recall the most basic facts like preforming a self analysis. 2050, that's the year. I'm... 17 years old and my name is, James... I think. And i'm here because... I draw a blank. I'm not sure as to what may have caused my sudden loss of memory, the explosion, the collapsing. Either way I've got other things I should worry about right now. Like digging myself out of this grave of wood and stone.

          After dragging myself out of the heap of ruble I try to take a minute and collect myself, take in my new surroundings. My pupils dilate and I can feel the adrenaline. "Oh.. My.. God.."

          Uncontrollably shoving my face in my hands I try to rap my head around how this is actually happening. "I can't believe this how the hell, I need to wake up!" In every direction destruction is the only theme. Almost every see-able structure has been demolished or close to it. "This is just crazy." Anyway, after a few moments of disbelief I finally pull myself together enough to take a few steps forward. Awkwardly stepping through splintered wood I stumble and almost trip but catch myself. Its almost like I was in the dead center of the collapse with almost a perfect radius of broken wood, shrapnel, and concrete containing me.

          When he finally makes his way out of the mount James takes another look around attempting to read the area for any direction demanding as a destination. Completely lost with no idea what to do or how to react James slowly makes his way forward but a blood curdling scream stops him immediately. With a bewildered look on his face he tries to figure out what and where that could have come from.

          He can easily assume its a women just by the incredibly high pitch. James scans all the sights around to pinpoint where exactly the terrifying scream came from. At first nothing but something catches his eye. To the far right a partially collapsed building still trying to stand slowly rots away letting a chunk give away to meet with the ground with a huge thump. At the same moment causing a piercing scream, this is what triggers James to instinctively and Immediatly bolt in the direction of the collapsing building knowing and hoping this girl is there. Wasting no time recovering he continues in a sprint toward the painful screams in the near distance. The untamed thump of James' worn Nikes on the raw loosened dirt shows how seemingly unaffected he is from having woken up in a mount of rubble not five minutes ago.

          Hes been running for almost a minute. After keeping a steady pace James' concentration is broken when he notices a loud crack as a free standing wall to his near left gives. Taking a glimpse at the left he can see this immense wall falling in his path, instinctively and instantly diving to the far right James just barely is able to avoid an end by the huge slab of concrete as it meets the ground with a huge crash. Not taking the time to regroup James jumps back to his feet and starts again with a dash toward the now audible cries for help.

          At an attempt of reassurance and to make himself known, on his way to help James clears his throat with a cough and tries to shout, "I can hear you I'm coming!"

          Only so many things can be running through James' head at the moment. So many things that all at once demand his attention. And everyone of these things causing him complete bewilderment in the details and reasons for most of the thoughts forcing their way to the top of James' brain yearning to be mouthed as a question. But its all he can do to try as hard as he can on keeping them at bay.

          He slows his pace now from a full sprint down to a hasty speed walk being able to take in more details of these grounded and halfed buildings. Shattered windows, exposed infrostructure, wire, and plumbing stabbing out of the walls and ceilings just waiting for even one slip, claiming a life just like that.

          James reaches a small clearing space between retired structures allowing more noticble sunlight to show. He stops for just a moment to look up with a squint at the now noon sun high in the sky. This brief catch of his breath is cut off quickley when a glance of an exposed opening of a structure at the opposite side of the clearing reveals something that makes James' eyes blow up in size at what he finds.