The Darkness

Chapter 1: Rose

"Run for the forest!" Chris yelled, just as a gigantic, flaming rock from the black, cloud-covered sky struck down just a few feet away; he didn't even flinch, he just continued on running. We all sprinted as fast as we could away from our burning, two-story house that we found abandoned about one month ago. It was in good condition until all hell broke loose on the surface of Earth. Time, fire, regular scavenging, flaming meteorites, and countless of other horrors really wears a place down.
I began completing a mental checklist of things we need, and was struck with panic when I realized that we forgot the thing that has kept us alive to the day; the Guide. It was written by Amber's dad, who none of us knew personally, but Amber trusts every word in that journal, and not only is Amber a good friend of ours, but every word in that journal has been right... So far.
I skidded to a halt and Chris did the same.
"I need to go back and get the Guide!" I yelled to him over the wind.
"Forget it! It's too dangerous." He replied.
"I can do it, and Mootchew can help." He thought for a moment, thinking of how a dog that can fit in a standard sized microwave can help me in a situation like this, but then he seemed to remember that Mootchew was special.
"Alright." He said reluctantly. "Just do me a favor, and don't get hurt."
"I can't make any promises and you know that, but you know I'll do the best I can."
"Okay." Was all he said.
"Mootchew! Come!" I yelled. He came speeding up to my side, his fluffy tail bobbing behind.
"Come on you two, let's go!" Krystal yelled to us.
"Go on!" Chris yelled to Krystal. "Shadow, come with me. Krystal and Nick, pair up and head north about seven miles in the forest. Starlight, go with them and stick close. See if you can pick up the scent of Shadow's damn cat," Chris then turned to me. "And Rose,"
"Yes?"
"Go as fast as you can, you know what to do."
"Careful though," Shadow said as he jogged up to us, the wind barely affecting his short, black hair. "The wind speed is growing at an exponential rate."
"Got it." I said as Mootchew began flying in the air. I noticed and snatched him up, hooking his leash onto his collar and tied his leash to a loop in my jeans. "Mootchew, house." And we began sprinting towards the house.
I was counting down the estimated amount of feet left to the house: 80, 70, 60 feet left. It began to get harder with the wind, so I had to get lower to the ground, and Mootchew dug his claws into the ground in an attempt to keep him grounded. 40 more feet. I'm not the heaviest person in the world, in fact I am only 98 pounds; for the better or, like right now, the worst. It's not like a 10 pound dog will help weigh me down much though either. 20 feet: almost there, but at about 15 feet Mootchew can dash for it. Just so close! Of course, I got pushed down by the wind, a strong gust, like someone was watching me and they knew my every ability and thought, and didn't want me to succeed. I just barely got back up, enough to sprint a few more feet, and with the momentum, Mootchew can make it.
"Mootch, up!" I held out my arms and he launched himself up. "Get the Guide." I told him. He licked my face in response and with that, I unhooked his leash from his collar and I threw him quite a few feet, inches above the ground. He landed perfectly and, maintaining his momentum, sprinted for the door of the house, trying desperately to maintain his ground. A few agonizingly long seconds later, he was in the house, but neither of us were safe. Small meteorites about the size of cars were still rain from the sky, and I was stuck praying for Mootchew and dodging them.
What is taking him so long, I wondered. The seconds grew longer, and before I thought that our situation could not get worse, one of the meteorites struck the house, with Mootchew still inside.