Sneaky

Chance

A piercing whistle had my eyes springing open, and flying around my apartment moments before I was sent to the floor.

With the force of a natural disaster, the whole apartment shook.

My ears rang with the sound wave accompanying the screaming outside.

My eyes locked with Glenn's upside down gaze beside me, as he looked at me from on his back.

I pushed myself up, going straight for the window, and all but tore the curtains off the rod throwing them back.

Orange light flared through the apartment, and I felt like the air had been sucked straight from my lungs with a vacuum.

Towering flames beneath billowing columns of black smoke engulfed and poured from the skyscraper in front of me.

The crackling could be heard through the humming window pane even from this distance.

My eyes turned to the sky with the whipping of helicopter blades, and unmistakably military choppers flew overhead, deeper into the city. I don't have to see or hear the aftermath to know what the black specks falling from them are.

Tingling bloomed in my grip on the fabric as I let it go.

Horror pushed through my veins like a freight train, my feet carrying themselves backwards until I nearly tripped and barely managed to steady myself before I flattened Glenn.

Oxygen returned to my lungs with the sudden acrid smell of smoke.

My pulse pounded against my neck with the shot of adrenaline that burst through my muscles, eating the horror alive.

"What's going on out there!?" Glenn scrambled to his feet, using the table as leverage.

I grabbed the backpacks, shoving one into his chest. "We've gotta go"

"I thought you said to leave in the morning—!"

"That was before I knew the military was gonna drop bombs in the streets." I threw the window open and swung my leg out, looking at him.

"I can't tell you it's gonna be okay, but I can tell you this. Those who move, survive. If we stay here, we die." I ducked under the pane and pulled my other leg through, standing firmly on the fire escape platform.

At the very least, it's not as dark as it would have been before. All these fires will keep the city lit for god knows how long.

I hope you are one lucky fish, Ace. That's the only way we're getting out of this without falling prey to a goddamn bomb.

I scaled the first flight of metal steps as Glenn came out behind me and was hot on my tail.

"Why are we going up— shouldn't we be going down!?" the steps thundered underneath our heavy feet.

"You wanna run straight into those things grasp? Besides we can't get out" I flicked my wrist at the teamming street below us; clawing at and surrounding the burning car smashed into the front doors.

"I've been up here before, the buildings are close enough to jump. We'll use their doors."

"God— this is crazy" Glenn spoke under his breath as we panted going up flight after flight.

I never thought I'd see the day when the city sleeps; even if it isn't quiet.

No sounds of cars, no subtle hum of electricity anywhere to be found. No voices, or sounds of planes overhead; no honking from people stuck in traffic.