Paradise

The beginning

"Boom"

The air grew dusty. There was a faint smell of something burning. Screams of terror filled the air. There was hardly any light; all I could see were shadows and silhouettes.

Clammy hands were shaking me. "We have got to get out of here. Run!"

My legs wouldn't move, no matter how much I willed them to. It was like my body and brain were two separate entities.

"Dammit, Alana, MOVE!" The voice had grown hoarse.

With a great deal of effort, I managed to get up.

I was pulled into a sprint. I quickly grabbed my backpack that I'd packed for emergencies.

My eyes were teary, but I could make out the ruins of the place I'd called home since I was born. Paradise was gone.

The air was laden with smoke and dust. These aggravated my already sore throat. After a violent bout of coughing, I once again started running.

We ran and ran for who knows how long, never looking back. Not once did Aiden let go of my hand, even though I was slowing him down.

My mind tried to erase the images it had seen. People crying over the lifeless bodies of their friends. People trying to pull others out of the wreckage.

Lots of people lost their lives out there. People I knew. People I grew up with.

Finally we stopped running. The weight of what had happened, almost instantly, became too heavy for me to bear.

I sunk to the ground. Tears flowing freely from my eyes.

'I hope Jamilla got out' was the only thing that kept resonating in my head. Jamilla was my best friend. We had grown up together. Knowing her, she would probably have stayed back to help. She was amazing like that. Always putting everyone above her.

I just ran.

'You're a coward'

'All you care about is yourself'

'You will never be anyone worth looking up to'

Voices I'd been hearing my whole life, came back to haunt me.

"Hey, you okay?"

I looked up at Aiden. His face was grimy, there was a huge gash on the side of his cheek, and his bright blue eyes were unusually dull.

I quickly grabbed my backpack. Jamilla, the only friend I've ever had, has always called me paranoid. How ironical that statement is now.

I quickly grab the first aid kit, and start dressing his wounds. He winces slightly. If this were yesterday I would have made fun of him for being a big baby. Yesterday now seems like a lifetime ago.

Yesterday, the biggest dilemma I faced was whether to eat strawberry cereal or pancakes for breakfast.

All the time I hoped that something would happen; something that would make our drab and dreary lives a bit more interesting.

All I can say is, be careful what you wish for.

I finished dressing Aiden's wounds. I meticulously put everything back in my backpack. Everything had its place; it irritated me if things were disorderly.

"Wow, even when we barely escaped death a few minutes ago, you're a neat freak"

"Wow, even when we barely escaped death a few minutes ago, you're a smartass" I retorted.

"I just saved your life. The answer you're looking for is 'Thank you Aiden, you are my saviour. I'm forever grateful to you', though even a simple thank you would suffice."

"Thanks" I mumble.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you" He replies with a smirk.

"I forgot what I said, I'll tell you when I remember."

He scowls.

Our little fight, strangely calmed us both down. My throat was parched; thankfully I had two bottles of water in my backpack.

I threw one at Aiden; who caught it even though he was taken by surprise"

Damn him, and his reflexes, I thought; gulping down the cool water.

"Well, your snarkiness has made a comeback. At least I know now that you aren't suffering from more brain damage."

"Did I say that out loud?" I asked

"Duh."

I had a tendency to blurt out stuff without even realising it. Not very pleasant for most of the people around me.

"For your information my brain is perfectly normal; maybe a bit overdeveloped, that's all."

"Someone's big headed"

"I just told you my brain is more developed than yours. I obviously have a big head to fit all of it in"

Ha. That should shut him up for a while.

It did.

But not for long.

"So, what do we do now?"

"We obviously can't go back; at least not for a few days. The people who planned the attack might come back." I said.

"Well we can't stay here. We don't have any food or water."

"I have some supplies in my backpack that could keep us going for a few days, but we do have to find a water source; the tankers that used bring us our water every week must enter Paradise from somewhere."

"Well....." He hesitated.

"What?"

He takes a deep breath. "Callum and me, followed the marksmen once, to see how they leave Paradise. There was a part of the wall that they tapped twice. It slid open and there was a keypad where they entered some kind of code and............. the walls opened."

"Do you remember where it was?"

"Yes. Kinda hard to forget something like that."

"Even if we get there and somehow manage to get out to the midlands, what do we do once we get there? We aren't twenty!"

"We've got no other choice." He says.

I sigh resignedly."We'll set out tomorrow then."

He nods

Suddenly we hear leaves rustling.

Voices grow louder and louder.

Shit.