Chemicals

Prologue (16+)

The warm sand covers my feet as I look back at the people behind me. New York was always different everywhere you go. Sometimes you'd be in the city, then you'd be in the alleys, and now, I'm at the beach. The water looks so calm and exhilarating, maybe this is why my mother enjoys it a lot. I watch as my mother splashes my father with the fresh sea water, my father skipping away from her. "Kiya, darling! Come join us!" He calls out to me. I struck a half smile back at her. "I think I'm fine dad," I call back out. She looks back and shrugs, lifting her shoulders while making a face.

It's been 2 hours already, my fingers are wrinkled and you know what that means; Its time to head off. I step out of the water, my hair wet and sticking to my shoulders. Mom used to tell me my hair was special, it was healthy and as she would say, 'A beautiful shade of brown'. My facial features didn't really match with my hair though. I toke my dad's grey eyes, and sharp jawline. Not so feminine, huh? I walk into the changing room, a towel in my hand as well as a pair of fresh clothes: A red t shirt and shorts. Just after I finish changing, as I was brushing my hair, the sound of a cry catches up to me, I hear the lifeguard calling out to someone. It stops for a few seconds so I just shrug it off...Until I hear the lifeguard again, but this time louder. I pop out of the changing room and see the lifeguard calling a few people out of the water. I look closely at the water and see it bubbling around, the ocean looks like a fast-rising flood or a wall of water. Tsunami? No, I learned this before, tsunamis only happen when there's a strong of long earthquake, right..?

I know my first priority. Without hesitation, I sprint toward my family, but a sudden jolt of terror freezes me mid-step. My breath catches as my heart races. My face drains of color when I see my mother's once serene face now twisting in agony. Her skin, a horrifying shade of crimson, burns as blood erupts violently from her cheek, spurting out like a ruptured dam. The hot liquid stains her clothes as her body trembles.

I turn to my father—his hands trembling uncontrollably, slick with dark red. Blood gushes between his fingers, pouring out in thick streams, pooling on the ground like water spilled from an overturned glass. His face contorts in pain, helpless against the flood of blood that won't stop. My stomach churns, my limbs numb with fear.

My eyes widen in sheer horror as I watch my parents being consumed by the heat, their bodies twisting and writhing in agony. The water devours their skin, layer by layer, until only the charred remnants of their flesh remain, crackling and smoking in the air. My throat tightens, and a tear slips down my cheek as I stand frozen, helpless. I try to run toward them, desperate to reach them, but a lifeguard grabs me before I can get any closer.

"Let me go!" I scream, my voice raw with panic, but he holds me back, his grip like iron around my arms. I struggle, thrashing against him, but he's unyielding. My heart pounds in my chest as I watch, powerless, the fire roaring louder as my parents' bodies crumble.

Suddenly, the water begins to recede unnaturally fast. The sea pulls back, exposing the wet sand beneath, and the tide lowers at an alarming speed. My breath hitches as I realize what's coming—a tsunami. The lifeguard's grip loosens, and for a brief moment, he stares at the rapidly retreating ocean before turning to me, eyes wide with fear.

"Run!" he yells, pushing me forward, his voice urgent as the looming threat of the tsunami rises behind us.

I sprint toward the parking lot, my legs burning as the water pulls back, receding faster with every step. The ground beneath me feels like it's slipping away, but I push harder, adrenaline surging through my veins. Suddenly, a boy with light brown hair and piercing gray eyes grabs my hand. Without a word, he pulls me along, running at a pace I can barely keep up with. Maybe he thinks I'm too slow. I don't blame him. His grip tightens, and together we dash through the chaos, our feet pounding against the asphalt.

We reach an unlocked car, and without hesitation, he pulls the door open. We both scramble inside, our breaths ragged. Just as I catch my breath, a girl—young, maybe 13 or 14—climbs into the backseat. Her face is pale, eyes wide with fear. The boy, without missing a beat, begins to hot-wire the car, his fingers working frantically with the exposed wires. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a man bursts through the door, shouting, "Wait!" He says, his voice is desperate, but there's no time to think. I leap into the car just as the engine roars to life, and the boy slams his foot on the gas, the car lurching forward as we speed away from the rising terror behind us.

The guy who jumped in looks around my age, maybe a couple of years older—he could be 18 at most. I'm 16, so the thought of being stuck with these strangers feels even more surreal. Behind me, the young girl is sobbing softly, her cries barely audible over the roar of the engine. I glance at the boy driving, noticing the glint of metal sticking out of his pocket. A gun. My stomach tightens with unease.

"Does anyone know what the hell is going on?" the older guy yells, his voice filled with panic, but no one answers. The only sound is the whimpering from the backseat and the screech of tires as we race through the streets.

The boy behind the wheel drives like he's been doing this his whole life, weaving through the deserted roads as if the world isn't collapsing around us. As we approach the city, I look out the window. The water, which had surged so violently before, is slowly pulling back. It slinks away, disappearing into the distance, leaving the streets eerily quiet. The once overwhelming flood vanishes from sight, but the silence it leaves behind feels just as terrifying.The city is small, so we drive past the city into a straight road near the mountain. The boy slowly stops going fast and decreases his speed. I can see the girl behind me lying on the car window, a tear dropping down her face.

I watch as we leave the town and drive away, leaving everything behind. The silence hung in the air like a heavy fog, swallowing every sound, leaving the world abandoned and mute.

It's strange how you can be completely immersed in a moment, enjoying it without fully realizing how much it means to you. Then, the next day, it hits you—you long for that moment to return, aching to hold onto it and cherish it the way you should have. That realization is sinking into me right now.