In Loving

Chapter 1: Fools

Day 3438.

BANG. BOOM. It was the fourth of July, and fireworks were to be anticipated. They were going off like crazy in the inner city, as the middle class and wealthy set off one after the next. My older sister, Ava, and I stood on the outskirts of the city watching in awe. The radiance of the fireworks illuminated across the dark, indigo sky. They lit it up, and the city came to life for the first time in Hunts Point.

I searched for the safety of Ava's hand. I had an irrational thought that perhaps the fireworks would fall back to the ground as fireballs. The noise gave me goosebumps, but Ava pulled me closer to her until I could hear her heartbeat.

BANG. BANG. BANG. The noise sounded again, but the sky didn't illuminate this time. Ava and I looked at each other in confusion, but shrugged and decided to wait some more.

BOOM. A trash can near us clattered and rolled over. And we could see it then, the small dent in the metal of the trash can. The garbage flowed out with rats scurrying away in a fury, finding safety while they still could. I froze.

Ava's heartbeat grew fierce. I looked at her with bulging eyes. She placed a finger over her lips quickly. "Shhhhh." I nodded and made sure no sound escaped from my lips as she looked around for a hiding place. In the darkness, I tried to search for the person that destroyed our perfectly good night.

There were some scattered conversations going on earlier in the night, but all that was gone. The artificial lights were all turned off. Ava and I were left in the danger of the streets, alone.

It was quiet. It was too quiet. My eyes welled up despite my wanting for it not to, and my breath deepened. It was as if an unworldly power was sucking up all the courage and energy out from me. I clenched my fists in powerless anger and waited for Ava's instructions.

She had climbed a dumpster and was opening the lid. She made a hand motion for me to approach her, and I hastily obeyed. Hand safely in hers again, she pulled me up and we faced the disgusting stench of the trash together. We took a breath of the filtered air and jumped into the unknown abyss.

A sour smell similar to that of vomit diffused. I made a face before the lid closed, and Ava laughed quietly.

"We'll get outta here soon. Don't worry."

Bang. Bang. Boom. We couldn't tell if that was from the fireworks or the welder of the gun. Silence swept across us immediately, until the only sound in the disgusting darkness was our breathing. I listened to her breath, reassured by it because it meant she was still there. Then I focused my attention on the occurrences outside of the thin metal, despite the advantage of invisibility it had over me.

"Come out, come out. Wherever you are. You can run but you cannot hide." A male voice thundered. I heard him clearly. It confirmed the presence of a third and fourth being outside this abyss, and my blood froze again.

His footsteps were harder to trace, but he was walking closer to us. I felt a cold hand tap my bare shoulder repeatedly.

"What is it, Ava?" I whispered without turning around. I was afraid to make any noise.

"What?"

"Stop tapping my shoulder."

"I'm not tapping your shoulder."