Stay...Calm

Chapter 30

"How come it isn't warm already?" Pauline asked. "Isn't it March?"

"It's still February," Opal. "I've been keeping track."

"It's not like we'll even be outside," Pauline muttered.

"Chip up, Pauly," Asha giggled. "Things'll get better someday.

The few girls, with Victorine following behind, made their way through the hallway to the stairwell. The sun was making its way up to the center of the sky but wasn't quite there yet.

"It gets kinda chilly in here sometimes," Pauline pointed out, gripping the banister. "I mean, not as chilly as outside, but-"

She was cut off by the ear-splitting ringing of the alarm. It was loud enough for everyone's hands to fly up to their ears. Pauline dashed up to her room to grab who-knows-what just in case. The rest started to hurry down the stairs, their fingers plugging up their ears, Pauline soon joined them too, gripping a doll.

"Y'know, guys," Asha muttered, halfway down the stairs. "Is could just be a dr-"

Then the loudest noise ever heard erupted for the over the side of the house. They stood in stunned silence for a moment. For a second, fear gripped their ankles to the ground and stay couldn't move a muscle. For a second, Victorine's mind couldn't spurt out a thing. But the next second, the ground began to shake as a rubble started to rain down from the ceiling in little crumbs. A thick smog started to emerge from the place the bomb had to hit.

At that point, Victorine's heels set her off into a sprint. She ran through the kitchen and into the grand living room as fast as her little legs could take her. In the grand living room, the window was starting the shake and crack. Smoke was pouring out from the upstairs balcony. Other residents were coming in from all directions, covering their heads with pillows, laptops, etc. The furniture shook as columns started to crack, and bigger chunks of sandstone and marble started to rain down. One landed right on the couch, smooshing the cushions and frame.

Asha dragged Pauline by the right arm, with Pauline's left arm clutching the old, ragged doll. Jacey and Parker held hands as they rushed in front the parlor, her expression Lee tried to guide in Melissa and the baby before the whole mob enclosed in the hallway. Horace raced down the stairs, clutching his bloody hand to the left ear as he cried in pain. Gina tried to run into Opal, but in a panic, Opal ran right past her. Though she cared about all these people, she had an odd desire to get past all these people and get inside the safe shelter as fast as possible

Terror made Victorine pick up speed faster and faster. She pushed through the crowd of people that started to form in the hallway of the shelter. They all grouped together, trying to push open the doors and run through. It was almost clogged with people as they scrambled to get down. Victorine managed to squeeze her way past enough sweaty, desperate people into the doorway. Just then a second explosion shook the ground beneath them. This one was even closer and sent burning ashes shooting into the It was enough to hurl Gina right to the ground, her elbow cracking right on the hard ground.

Victorine stopped for a second and pulled Gina up by her good arm and dragged her down the stairs, trying not to trip and meet the same fate. Keeping her hand gripped on Gina's wrist, she nudged her way into the shelter. Ms.Kion and Mrs.Daniels were already there, watching as people desperately filed in. Victorine squeezed right in and sighed in relief. The first thing she did was move out of the way of the door before the stampede came. Secondly, she sat down on the second bed closest to the wall on the far right. The shelter was filling up by the second. Victorine curled up on the bed as the rumbling continued. Asha sat down beside her and patted her back as Victorine stared into space with her fingers plugging her ears.