Salvation

I

~ New York City, NY / June 21st 2017 / 7:51 pm ~

"And this is what the city looks like from the top floor."

For the first time in my life, my fear of heights are suppressed. All I can focus on is the view of New York City from the top floor of the Empire State Building. 

The sun is just peaking over the horizon, painting streaks of pink across the yellow and orange sky. The vibrant colors reflect off the many skyscrapers, covering the entire city in shades of orange and gold. I pull out my phone to capture the breathtaking view, but my picture is photo-bombed by my friend Daniel.

"Gang." Daniel mutters as he invades my photo, whilst throwing up a random gang sign.

"You should be careful Daniel. They don't play around with that shit in New York." my other friend Eric tells Daniel, as he stands next to me admiring the view.

"Whatever," Daniel blows him off, as he moves out of frame and allows me to take my picture.

I turn around and see Eric's step brother, Max, sitting in a chair and browsing through his phone.

"How are you not amazed by this?" I ask him.

"I don't know. I didn't even wanna go on this trip." Max mutters, not taking his eyes off his phone.

"Come on Max, quit being lame." my other friend Austin says to him, as he nudges Max with his elbow.

"Don't touch me," Max tells him, now slightly smirking.

"Max, you're gay." Austin's girlfriend Emi joins in, hands entwined with Austin's.

"Alright, I think we should head back down." Mr. Robinson, our designated chaperone, says to us.

"Wait, not yet!" my friend Heaven yells, while messing with the settings on her big, fancy DSLR. 

"I have to get this photo," she tells us, as she puts her eye up to the viewfinder.

"Kill me." Eric mutters impatiently, obviously annoyed at Heaven. 

"Alright, we can go." Heaven tells us, after checking to make sure the photo was perfect. We all huddle together in the elevator and head back down to the first floor.

"Hey, it's about time you guys got back." my friend Bianca says as she walks over to us from a table in the far corner of the room.

"Well maybe you should've came with us, pussy." Eric tells her.

"Sorry that I'm severely afraid of heights, Eric." Bianca snaps back, clearly bothered by his comment. 

We head out the front doors and out onto the sidewalk. The moment we exit the front doors, a group of helicopters fly over head.

"Jesus," Austin mutters, as the wind from the helicopters blow his groomed hair into a fray. 

"That would be a dope photo." Heaven states, as she moves the viewfinder of her camera up to her eye.

The atmosphere of the city is different from before we entered the building. I noticed groups of military officials, commanding people around. A police car speeds down the street, sirens blaring, almost hitting a group of pedestrians. I notice a guy getting into an argument with an armed official.

"I have a baby! You can't do this!" the man screams at the official, as his wife and baby watch with tearful eyes. The official strikes the man in the face with the butt of his gun, knocking him unconscious, his wife is now hysterical. 

"Stiles!" Eric regains my attention.

"Come on." he says to me, as he begins to drag me by the arm. 

Our group is being ushered by another military official. I hurry my pace so I can listen to the conversation Mr. Robinson is having with the official.

"What the hell is happening?" Mr. Robinson asks.

"North Korea just launched a nuclear bomb which is headed for Chicago. It's expected to make contact within half an hour and we need to ensure that everyone is safe." the official explains.

Chills begin to flow through my body. The entire country was about to be devastated within thirty minutes.

"This is why I didn't wanna come to this bullshit." Max says as we continue our brisk walk to wherever this official was leading us.

I turn to face my group of friends. Some were crying. Some were scratching their heads. Some were observing the surroundings. But all of their faces were filled with fear, and I'm sure my face was no different.

The military official leads us down the steps into a subway station. Subway station 'A' to be exact. There were already hundreds of people packed together in the subway, but there were hundreds more to come.  The official leads us into the group, packing us in so tightly that there's barely any room to breath. The official shoves Heaven us she enters the subway station, causing her to drop her camera, which shatters. Before she can assess the damage, the official pushes her into the crowd, and then ushers in more people as they enter the subway.

"I'm gonna try talking to the officials." Mr. Robinson says to me before running up the stairs, exiting the station.

That was the last time I saw Mr. Robinson.