Modern Life

Chapter 2

I rolled my eyes, that crazy man, there is nothing to be afraid of.

An alarm went off all around the city. It’s shrill scream kept coming over and over again. It pierced into my ears, the ringing making my hands fly up to protect them. I start screaming along with the alarm, trying to block it out with my screams.

Distantly I heard Grandpapa telling Zander to comfort me. To my surprise, Zan didn't correct him. Instead, after a few seconds I feel him hugging onto me like I was a lifeline; he was scared too.

 The alarms continued to scream. All it did was beep in a high pitched way; I think that maybe it’s so deaf people can hear too.

Then the alarms suddenly stop sounding. I pick my head up, feeling my face sticky with tears. My ear still ring with the memory of the high pitched beeping.

Then I realize something is missing, it's too quiet. Where are the fast paced foot steps on the wood? I listen for them again maybe i missed them. Or maybe I'm deaf.

"Grandpapa! Where are you!" I yell into the silence. No, not deaf.

"Mr.Srick?" Zan says, looking around.

Then we hear a ZROOOoooom as something flies above the house. Something big, almost like an airplane flying too low except heavier and faster.

Silence for a moment and then a crash the sound of multiple fireworks right in my ear. I  was crying now, my eardrums felt like a pencil was stabbed in them. The house shakes along with the explosions. They just kept coming, more and more of the explosions and house shaking.

Everything stops.

All except the ringing in my ears. For a moment I’m afraid that the world froze. I look over to see Zan still in my arms. Luckily, he is still moving. That has to mean something, right? Standing up is hard; I don’t know how long I was in that position on the floor while the zooming thing was here. 

“Come on Zan,” I say, motioning for him to stand up with me. “Let’s go find my Grandpapa.”

That’s when the hissing sound started. It sounded like a broken pipe that was spurting gas out. More and more of the hissing sound out.

“What’s that...?” Zan asks me.

 I tell him I don’t know as I begin walking towards the front door. Just about a hour ago I was at that door, having no idea what was going to happen. Now that I think about it, I still don’t know what has happened.

“What are you doing?” Zan says, panic making his voice crack.

“Well I have to see if Grandpapa is out there.” I pause. “Come with me Zan.” 

He stood up and followed me towards the door. We stopped right in front of it and looked at each other. “You open it.” I told him.

He looked at me and rolling his eyes, grabbed onto the handle. Stopping to look at me, he slowly turned it. Then he jingled it from left to right and back again. “It’s locked from the outside.”  The realization made him even more scared than before. I can tell he tried to hide it. I didn't care anyways, i was scared too.

“Come on, let’s go see if we can find him by looking out the window! He has to be out there somewhere.” I say, trying to distract him from being locked in. Zan looks over to me and seems to debate in his head if he should listen to me.

“Fine but I get to look out first.” He says, running over to a window on the side of the house. I chase after him and reach the window first.

“Ha!” I said. “I win! You los-” That’s when I actually saw what was out the window, I took everything in after a split second of seeing. “AHHHHH!” I scream, falling back on my bottom and scooting away from the window. “Wha…what is that? What happened Zan!”