THE FLOOD

1

I sit at the dinner table poking my meatloaf with a thin metal fork. I never liked it once it got cold. And it only got cold because I was goofing off too much.

I try to hold in a giggle when I glance at my brother fixing a pea on his spoon. He then uses it as a catapult to launch it across the table and it lands in dad's plate.

Both of us start laughing and my father looks irritated.

"Goal," I giggle.

"You two!" our mother scolds. "What have I told you about playing battlefield with your food at the table?"

"Not to do it?" my brother replies, looking a tad guilty.

She gives him a look of disapproval.

But when we go back to eating I sneak a whisper to him, "Nice shot."

He grins and tries not to laugh again.

The only time we played battleground at the dinner table without being scolded was on our tenth birthday a few months ago. But even then we got settled after it got a bit messy.

My parents begin speaking in a hushed tone now about adult things. I don't try to listen to them even if they seem concerned. I just finish up a secret war message on my napkin that I shouldn't be writing while I am supposed to be eating.

My brother tries to steal it but I snatch it back. "Stop!" I laugh.

He is chuckling. "What is it, sis?"

"Nothing yet—" I look over at the window when my parents both look towards it and exchange a strange expression of confusion.

My mother stands up and walks to the glass, her eyes searching for something.

I remain quiet and wait for whatever it is they heard.

Suddenly orange flashes into fire outside; an explosion on the building next to us that rattles the windows and sounds like thunder in the sky.

My mom staggers back with terror and shock in her eyes and I get off my seat in fear.

My dad gets up, equally as worried and looks at it but takes mom's shoulders.

"Dad why is there fire out the window?!" my brother demands.

I am in too much of a panic mode to even speak. My heart beats fast and my eyes search around with terror.

But before anything else happens, our whole apartment building shakes as if standing on the focus of a mighty earthquake, the lights flickering and the sound of cracking foundation all around us.

"Dad!" I scream out as my brother huddles with me, both of us scared to death as I watch things fall over and break. That's when the explosion makes a sound louder than anything I had heard before right under my feet. The vibration knocks me to my knees and before us the floor cracks, creating a hole so large it takes up our entire room, the pieces falling with both of my parents down inside, my brother and I just outside of the damage. I scream out in horror when they fall, disappearing into the rubble and fire beneath us.

My brother is too shocked to make a sound. But as the place cracks around us he grabs my hand, pulling me along after I stumble to my feet and follow him, tears falling down my cheeks worse than I have ever cried before. It blurs my vision and makes my muscles weak. I trip over the fallen barstool on the wood floor and grunt.

My brother helps me up as rubble falls like snow over me and we continue to run. We make it all the way to the back room; my parents' bedroom and he leads me to the bed, both of us crawling under it and huddling there, using the thick bed above us as shelter from anything, if we would even last long