Tomorrow's Gone (#Wattys2015)

Chapter 5: Blazing Red Light

Saturday came amazingly fast. Before I knew it, my parents were packed up and we were ready to leave. We had packed only the essential; clothing and food. We'd left behind everything. I'd only packed my mp3 and a stuffed animal, for nostalgia's sake.

"Ready to go?" asked my sister as I stared at my house sadly.

Clutching my bear to my chest, I nodded and silently followed her to our truck, still a bit incredulous that we were actually leaving.

Climbing into the truck, I sat down and closed my eyes tightly as tears threatened to escape. Pulling my hood up, I stared glumly out the window as my father pulled out of the driveway with a solemn look to his eyes.

Mom rode in the front while my sister and I sat in the back. I engraved my town in my memory as we drove through the vacant streets. My dad eventually stopped in front of Daniel's house, where his family was already in their own truck. They followed us as we kept driving towards the town entrance. Once we finally made it, I heaved a sigh and tucked my feet underneath me, scrolling through my mp3 and choosing the song that befitted my mood; Cámara Lenta by Zoé. Something about its beat and general sound made me sad.

"You alright back there, Zoe?" mom asked worriedly from the front of the car.

I gulped, turning the volume down. "Yeah... I think I'm going to take a nap," I mumbled.

The mood soured and turned melancholy in an instant. "Everything will be alright, honey. Sleep, we will wake you when we arrive," Mom reassured me.

The drive to Seattle was around two hours, so there would be sufficient time for me to sleep. Closing my eyes, I turned the volume up and rested my head against the window. I fell asleep to the soft lull of the music and gentle thrum of the engine.

"Zoe, wake up. We're stopping at a rest area to eat," a voice roused me from my sleep.

Forcing my heavy eyelids open, I groggily turned to look at my sister, whom was gently shaking me awake.

"Okay," I nodded slowly as we stepped out of the car and into the simmering heat of yet another summer day. I looked around, squinting against the harsh sun. We were at a very green resting area, and I spotted a few people sitting at a table with green foliage around it.

I instantly met eyes with Daniel, who sat at the table too. He gave me a weak smile as I walked toward him. "Hey," I murmured softly once I made it to his side.

"Hey," he yawned, ruffling his already disheveled dark hair as he did so.

"How long have we been on the road?" I asked curiously.

"About an hour," Daniel said, staring ahead wistfully.

I frowned. "What's wrong?" I inquired.

Daniel shook his head. "Nothing. Just thinking about the future," he said distractedly.

"That's something I've been thinking about too," I contemplated. And I had been thinking about the future. I was afraid we wouldn't survive the end of the world... all my aspirations would go down the drain... I would never live to tell my story to my children.

Daniel pursed his lips. "Yeah... the biggest thing I regret is never telling the girl I have a crush on that I like her," he stared longingly into the distance.

I smiled knowingly. "Aww, little Danny Boy is in love!" I teased, nudging him playfully.

Daniel blushed, staring at me for a few seconds before abruptly looking away and changing the subject. "What do you think the rest of our town is doing?" he asked.