Team

If I Had A Heart

"Crushed and filled with all I found
Underneath and inside
Just to come around
More, give me more, give me more." -Fever Ray

Utter chaos, destruction, devastation. Tremors crumbled the earth like a child destroying a sandcastle. Marie felt her feet sink through the earth as silt rose from the ground's surface. Panicking, she tripped over her feet and scrambled into an upright position once again.

She couldn't get over the noise though: earth splintering, sirens blaring, buildings crumbling, people screaming. Dust rose from the city's skyline, engulfing the buildings in a hazy shroud of darkness. Marie felt her body screaming at her to keep up with the crowd: keep running, keep surviving. The actual shaking probably only lasted a minute, but its effects were continuing to shake the people. Everybody seemed to surround her, swallowing her whole in their panicked embrace. Stumbling, Marie felt her world turn on its side as she reached out to grab somebody in the hopes of staying on her own two feet again. A strong hand grabbed her forearm, probably squeezing it so tight that a bruise was beginning to bloom under the surface. But that was okay for now.

Stabilised, she looked to the source of the hand. Dusty glasses framed a young face, dark hair coated in a fine layer of building dust. He wiped at his glasses in an attempt to clear them and actually be able to see where he was going.

"What's your name?" His voice was higher pitched than usual, anxiety lacing his words.

"My... my name? Marie." she puffed. In her fear she had almost forgotten her name. Almost.

"Follow me. And don't let go." he started pushing through the crowd, darting through small spaces whilst tugging her along.

"Wait! Wait... my family! I have to find my family!" she yelled gripping his hand tighter. There wasn't a moment's hesitation before he replied: "The docks. Everybody's heading to the docks." For about five minutes the two made their way through the city's narrow streets, climbing over fallen buildings and crushed cars. She tried not to pay too much attention to the bodies that were surely trapped underneath. A sick feeling began to grow in Marie's stomach as she swallowed back the sudden swell of hysteria. What was she doing? Why was she following this guy who she's never even seen before? It was almost as if the young man could read her mind as he sensed Marie's hesitation.

"Hey, you can trust me, okay? I'm not going to hurt you. I'm trying to help you. " he soothed. He recognised that scrunching of the nose that normally accompanied crying. "It's okay. We're on each other's team." Marie swallowed the hard lump in her throat and began nodding her head in an attempt at reassuring herself. Slowly but surely, they continued their way to the docks. The sweet smell of the sea hit Marie before she actually saw it: crowds of people were shouting and crying as they surrounded the moored boats. They were scrambling onto them despite the shouts from the owners of the vessels.

"What're they doing?" she hissed in fear, eyes unblinking.

"Emergency evacuations of the city. Everybody's getting desperate." he huffed, licking his dry lips. He made a face whilst the specific taste of dirt and crushed building invaded his senses. 

Where was his family, Marie thought. Was he just going without them? It wasn't until she saw a familiar head of hair that she let go of the man's hand and surged forward within the crowd, echoing their collective anxiety and hope. 

"Olivia! Olivia!" her shout was drowning in a sea of others. She faintly registered her name being yelled by the man but she ignored it, persisting to grab the attention of the child. "Olivia! Turn around!" Marie's sister looked over her shoulder and noticed her older sister immediately.

"Da! There's Marie!" Olivia's high-pitched baby voice rose above the hopeful cries of the crowd. She was clutching her teddybear in one hand and her father's hand in the other. Marie stumbled once more, cursing her hereditary clumsiness whilst trying to grab the rest of her family's attention. Where was her mother? It seemed like her family was engulfed by the crowd as her father's shuddering figure and Olivia's petite figure boarded one of the front boats.

"Wait! Wait!" she screeched as her arms went out to grab her sister. A sudden figure from behind her pushed her forwards towards the old boat. Snapping her head around, she saw it was the same guy as before. "What're you doing?" she shouted in protest as he lifted her above his arms. Was she seriously crowd-surfing? She was being carried to the boat by hundreds of people, a sea of hands guiding her towards the boat. "What about you?" She didn't know whether he had heard her or not, but shouted to him nonetheless. Lifting her head slightly, she saw him standing there calmly, lifting his hand up towards her in a silent wave. As Marie was dumped unceremoniously onto the boat, she heard the engines rumbling to life. Steading herself at the hull of the vessel, she sadly waved at the man. 

I never even got his name, she realised painfully. Catching sight of the retreating city, she almost doubled over as the sick feeling in her stomach only grew: fire. Buildings were blazing as the whole city was swathed in burnt orange light. Gas mains had obviously ruptured.

Now Marie allowed herself to quietly weep. Her dirt-stained face was now tear-tracked as well.

The sleepy city had been woken by a giant.

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Laura here! Here's my first proper original story. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it :)

I've decided to cast the beautiful Zoe Kravitz for the character of Marie Aitken. 

The title of this story, Team, is named after Lorde's song. Each chapter will probably be named after a song, and I'll be sure to add the link to play the song for each chapter too. I love Lorde's lyrics, so you might see more chapters named after her songs.

Thanks! Don't forget to vote and comment if you want more :) xx