The End

Chapter Five

The skyscrapers around me, once shimmering and tall, were now shattered and dark. I frowned, looking around us again. Why was it so quiet.
As if on que Catherine said "Where is everyone?"
"Maybe their hiding." Tyler suggested.
"Ya but were are the terrorist? Shouldn't they be swarming the streets and hunting people down?" Dylan said looking at us like we were crazy.
He wasn't completely wrong, in fact he had a point. We pulled up to a broken building a block away from the twins building. We jumped out looking around, I had a terrible feeling about this.
Ash took my hand pulling me closer to him protectively. I squeezed his hand giving him a little smile and he kissed my forehead in return.
"Come on guys let's go." Maggie said and we began to walk. The twins apartment building was closer to town square which worried me even more.
As we walked the dry breeze filled my senses with dust making me cough. After walking for a little while we stood in a group looking up at the wrecked apartment building.
The once twelve story high building was now collapsed leaving the ground floor, the first and second floors, and half of the third floor.
"Well I guess it's a good thing we live on the second floor." Dylan said scratching the back of his head and wincing.
I started to take a step forward when a scream pierced the silence.
The voice yelled for help sending chills down my spine, it was close by. I squeezed Ash's hand tight trying not to panic. Maggie gasped running towards the noise.
"Maggie!" Tyler whispered following her. I looked at Ash who nodded and we also began to follow.
When we got to Maggie and Tyler they were leaning up against the side of a building and Maggie was looking around the corner.
She looked back at us, tears filling her eyes. She started to shake and she covered her mouth as she slowly sunk to the ground.
I ran up to her looking around the corner cautiously. Horror filled me when I saw what she had been looking at. In the middle of the court yard kneeling in two rows was almost fifty people all hanging their heads. I covered my mouth trying not to cry out.
I watched as dozens of soldiers lined up with guns, placing the muzzles to the kneeling people's head cause them to either freeze or act out.
One man stood in front of them yelling in a language I didn't recognize before with one swift movement all the soldiers cocked their guns and fired together.
I jerked my head back around the wall running back to Ash and hiding my face in his shirt.
He hadn't seen it but he heard it. He stroked my hair soothing me quietly.
"Come on Lydia we have to go, now." He whispered.
I nodded following him to the rest of the group who were already approaching the twins building again. The door was collapsing, covered by a single sheet that flapped back and forth slowly in the small breeze that had now filled the air.
Tyler pushed back the sheet cautiously stepping inside. He smiled turning back to us and motioning for us to follow.
I stepped inside, the small lobby was dark and the air was thick with dust, sophisticating me and causing my lungs to burn for oxygen.
Sunlight steamed through small bullet holes  that were scattered around the walls and ceiling. The elevator on the left wall was open but seemed to be leaning so we decided to take the stairs.
When we reached the second floor the door pushed open revealing the damaged hallway. Dylan gaped at the wreckage in front of us. As we approached their room I knew we were all thinking the same thing.
"Wait. What if there not here." Maggie asked for all of us. But there was nothing to be said, if they weren't here there wasn't anything we could do, it would be over.
Tyler took a small breath before knocking lightly on the door, when no one answered he slowly turned the unlocked door handle.
The door swung open to the empty damaged apartment. Sun light seeped through the corner of the room where the wall and ceiling had been ripped away exposing the room to the sea of building that were spread out in front of us.
"Oh." Dylan said shocked by the sight of his destroyed home.
We filed into the apartment closing the door behind us, although it didn't matter anyways. 
The fridge was on the only fully intact wall that remained but the door had fallen off and it was no longer plugged in.
Tyler moved over to the pantry opening it and examining the little food that was left behind.
"Nice place." Jackson muttered under his breath before redirecting his gaze to a piece of paper tacked to the wall. He walked over frowning, "Is this morse code?" He asked pulling the paper off the wall and holding it up for us to see.
I frowned looking closer....

-- -.-- / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. .-. . -. / .-- . / .- .-. . / ... .- ..-. . / .-- . / .... .- ...- . / -- --- ...- . -.. / .. -. - --- / .- / -.-. .- -- .--. / -. . .- .-. / - .... . / .-- .- - . .-. ..-. .- .-.. .-.. / .-- . / ...- .. ... .. - . -.. / .-- .... . -. / -.-- --- ..- / .-- . .-. . / -.- .. -.. ... / .. - / .. ... / -. --- - / ... .- ..-. . / ..-. --- .-. / -.-- --- ..- / - .... . .-. . / -.-. --- -- . / ..-. .. -. -.. / ..- ... / .- ... / ... --- --- -. / .- ... / .--. --- ... ... .. -... .-.. .

"Guys let me see it, we learned that as kid." Dylan said and Tyler followed.
We handed them the paper and they began to examine it.
"It might take a little while but we can do this." Dylan assured us before sitting down with his brother and beginning to decipher the message.
While they worked I sat next to the corner of the torn drywall, watching the sun set. I took a breath opening a small bag of chips that was given to me a couple minutes ago.
The wind picked up slightly sending a sweet breeze into the apartment mixing with the warm sunshine.
I sighed moving my gaze to the twins who were still writing down the code. Tyler stood up stretching and rotated giving me an accomplished smile.
"Done!" He said.
We gathered around looking at the new piece of paper...

My children, we are safe, we have moved into a camp near the waterfall we visited when you were kids. It is not safe or you there come find us as soon as possible.

We stood in silence, processing the new information.
"Okay." Ash finally said.
"We should leave first thing tomorrow morning." Catherine said yawning.
We all nodded in agreement before separating to get some rest.
I sighed looking around, "I'll take first watch." I said. And second, and third, and the fourth, I thought. I laughed to myself a little before sitting back down next to the drywall.
I still wasn't tired, not one bit. Maybe it was just adrenaline but at this point I didn't care.
Tyler's snoring pierced through the silence as I watched the pitch black night, the only light source being the dull shimmer of the moon.
I was supposed to wake someone up a little while ago to change shifts but I saw no point in waking someone else up so I could lay awake anyways.
I sighed looking back across the buildings. A thin red flash caught my eye and I sucked in a breath as two more joined it. My heart skipped a beat  as I realized what was happening.
They found us.