The Day I Changed

Unexpected

17:25

It all happened too quick. The sudden turn of events had me dazed as the dust filled up the mall. I stood there numb as the people brushed past me. This can't be happening. This is not real. I thought as I shook myself to move. Instead of running away, I ran towards the mall.

"Mom! Cyn !" I shouted as I ran.
Someone tried to pull me away but I pushed him off. Every step that I took felt heavy on me.

A guy who was in his mid-twenties noticed me running in the wrong direction. He was wearing a striped blue and white shirt and a navy blue trousers . An outfit worn by the Matrix employees. He stopped and yelled, " Out ! Now! You want to get shot by the terrorists?" . He held my arm and pulled me away from the mall.

"Terrorists ? How many of them ?" I asked him. "Please, my mom and sister are in there."

"I just saw two of them patrolling near the entrance on my way out. I also witnessed a murder. The people in Matrix were taken as hostages. You just need to get out." He says still holding my arm.

"I have to get to them." I say as I pull free and run towards the mall.
I slow down near the entrance. I have to go the other way.

I hear the sirens. Finally! I take my time debating whether to go in or not. I've come this far. I want to be with them. I reach for the handle on the door. I press my ears against the door to see if anyone's behind it waiting for me to come and boom! That would totally suck, wouldn't it?

I hear some distant sound and decide it's way too distant. I open the door half scared and half praying for it to be a quiet opening.

This is the first time I'm seeing the mall in this way. The first thing I notice is beige and black tiles splattered with blood , the posters of the new movie( I looked forward to it! Not anymore) were burned. Still burning infact. It looked like the bomb exploded in the furniture department which was far from Matrix. Thank God !

As per my calculations, due to the renewal of the stock in Matrix , my mom and sis usually spend 3 hours there. Hopefully this time they didn't change their routine. If so they are unhurt(hopefully) and are sitting along with the other hostages. I have a gut feeling that they are alive and that I will find them.

You might be surprised that I'm standing here in the middle of the mall going unnoticed by the ruthless inhuman men out there. Fortunately, I had decided to wear black. And also I'm hiding behind a white and pink fluffy bunny recycle bin which smelled nothing like fluffy marshmallows burning in the campfire.

I waited behind the bin for sometime staring at the display of Matrix located at the corner of the 1st floor for some movement. I thought about the last time we'd been here.