Fantastical Nightmare

Chapter Two

"Ana? Ana! Wake up" Her eyes fluttered open as the words flowed out of Alec's mouth. Her vision was blurry as her eyes adapted to the bright light. Alec sighed with relief and his grip tightened around Ana's waist. She tried to block any thoughts that came into her mind as her vision became clear. She realised the position her and Alec was in, he was so close to her. She was sat on his lap while he cuddled her protectively. A concerned expression covered his face.

Alec stood up, with Ana still in his arms. His expression turned into shock and his glaze wouldn't not leave the school building...She turned around and gasped loudly. People were being engulfed by raging flames as everyone stood there helplessly. They screamed for mercy, their innocent souls wanting to be set free from the torture. Their skin began to burn and blister all over; the red patches of blisters covered their whole body within minutes. Flames invaded the building, and they were slowly catching up to where the students were all stood. Alec's grip loosened around Ana and her feet touched the floor again. She almost collapsed when her feet first collided with the floor, but it only took a few seconds for her to get used to it. Pulling away from Alec's grip, she ran towards her best friend. She grasped her wrist tightly, dragging her towards the school gates. Guilt flooded through her mind, a sense of betrayal. Alec had saved her life and now she had abandoned him. How could she do that? Desperately, she tried to shrug of the thoughts but soon got distracted from them anyway. The long road heading towards the city was deserted. It used to be so beautiful...

The long green grass gently tickled Ana's legs as she walked through them. The sun blazed down on her. Clothes clung to her sweating skin, as if they were hanging on for dear life. "Ana!" Yaya bounced towards her and smiled.
She leaned her back against a tree and patted the ground next to her for me to sit. "Don't you just love it here? It's so beautiful!" Ana nodded, grabbing her sketch book and began to draw. It was so peaceful here. Hardly anybody drove up the road that was in front of us. It only led towards the school, so no one bothered travelling up there. Most students stayed overnight at the school, only going home on weekends. Any other student's walked. Ana and Yaya loved to sit here every morning before school, admiring the nature and beauty of it all. Her worst nightmare would be if this place was destroyed...

Unfortunately, Ana's worst nightmare had come true, what was happening? They slowly walked down the road, leaving behind their school and everybody in it. There was nobody to be seen yet, the town was always so lively.

"Hey look somebody's there" Yaya yipped happily. Ana smiled slightly and began running up to the person. She wanted to shout but her mouth was so dry, she just couldn't make any sounds. They stopped a few meters away from the person. Due to the smoke and ash caused by the fire, it was too dark to see who the person was but they looked injured. They were limping around; in no hurry whatsoever despite the current events. Their head drooped to one side, it didn't look normal. The unclear figured continued to walk towards them. Yaya tightened her grip around Ana's hand and she instantly knew what they both wanted. They quickly crept around the "person". If it was a person, she was unsure what it was.

Gradually, they made their way down the long road, observing any movement that made them uncomfortable. They had never felt so vulnerable before, something about the atmosphere felt dangerous and deadly. As if someone was lurking in the distance. The walk seemed longer than it usually did. Paranoia filled their minds, they were about to explode. Yaya anxiously played with her pigtails: she twisted them in her small fingers. Distance had come between them. Not physically, but mentally. Something was between them, a dark force, pulling their minds apart.

Finally they reached the city, although the look of it made them want to turn around. Flames glowed throughout the city; lights barely working, flickered on an off. The city should have been full of happy Christmas shoppers, colourful illuminate lights brightening their cheerful smiles. Smells of delicious fruit cake should have filled the air. But no, it was abandoned. The city was never really that nice, at least not compared to others. Although, it was still home for Ana and Yaya, for them to see it such a state like this was devastating.

First, they would go to Ana's house. Check on things, and then they would go to Yaya's house. Ana had it all planned out in her head, constantly thinking about it all in the silence they both faced. Finally, they reached their first stop. Ana ran inside her home, slamming the door on Yaya's face. Her friend knew the rules, no matter what; she was not allowed to enter her home. Nobody ever was.

Ana roamed around her house, grabbing anything that would be necessary. Of course, she was home alone. She always was. Rapidly, she ran back outside but panic filled her soul when she realised Yaya was gone. Nowhere to be seen. Sometimes it felt as if Yaya was never there as if she wasn't real. She was truly alone, without Yaya or a family. Her mind rambled on and on, leading her to unconsciously walk by herself. Suddenly, she tripped over nothing, falling into a deep puddle of blood. Acting as if nothing happened, she leaped up and continued to stroll along the empty streets.

Endlessly roaming, she came to a large clearing. People or creatures stood around. Some eating fresh flesh of the ground; others just stood around uninteresting in their surroundings. Until, Ana scream aloud "This isn't fair!" How could Yaya just leave her like that? She needed her. She had no one else to be with else. She continued to ramble, unaware of those who carried broken souls limping towards her. By the time she noticed, they had closed in on her, only leaving a little space for her to escape. Knowing it was her only chance, she made a break for it. For a few minutes she continued to run, watching everything flash by her, never looking back.

Finally, she came to ease. She had landed herself deeper into the city, a dark alley to be exact. Footsteps could be heard, gradually getting louder and louder. Ana was trapped, she was left with no choice but to face whatever was walking towards her. She thought about death, in some ways in pleased her. Her so called best friend, only friend, had left her alone in such a disturbing world. The footsteps seemed so far away, yet she knew they were so close to her. Afraid to face whatever it was, she kept facing the blank wall, even when the footsteps stopped.

"Don't move a muscle, Missy" She felt a cold sharp metal press against her neck and a rough hand pulled on her hair. The voice was deep but smoothing. Was she really about to be killed right this moment? Maybe Yaya was looking for her, she was careless after all.

The boy spoke again, his voice sounding less hostile. "And you are?" He released her hair and gently grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.

Ana stared at him emotionally, but inside her anxiety was increasing. The boy's eyes were bright. Too bright, like the sun reflecting off the ocean, at the same time they were ice cold like daggers piercing your skin. She stood silently, trying to ignore him like she ignored everyone else. "The name is Kian" He spoke in that deep voice of his. He wouldn't stop trying.

"Ana..." She looked down at her shoes, disappointed in herself for speaking to him. Lightly, he grabbed her wrist and began dragging her away from the alley. She felt the weight lift from her chest, she was relaxed. A feeling she hadn't experienced in a while.

Together, they continued to pointlessly walk around. Kian muttering about his life, Ana paying hardly any attention to his efforts. She stared at his feet and followed his steps. Finally they reached a metal staircase, it looked old as if it could break any minute but despite that, Kian started creeping up it dragging Ana with him. She hated this, all of it. At least until she reached the top of the stairs.

There she was. Yaya. Stood there, as clean as ever. Without any second thoughts, she ran towards her friend.