Cold: The Darker Side Of Evil

chapter 5

"Welcome to Philadelphia!" Zavier announced running between the streets.

I walk looking at the buildings. Some are so high that they can reach the sky. Others are barely 5 stories high. I walk up to one of the building that read "post office." I look into the widow and see many papers scattered over the floor, turned over racks and desktop computers. There are also cracked picture frames and some are on the floor and others crooked. Blood covers the wall. No body is found.

"What happened here?" I asked.

Zavier looked through the window and sighs. "Joy happened. When she took power, she asked everyone to come to the hotel you came from. Whoever denied or fought back got a death sentence."

I turn around and looks at Zavier with solemn eyes. "What about the rebels?"

Zavier shakes his head. "Most of them died. There's not much of us left."

"Not much?"

"When they found out where our hide out is-" his voice cracked. "They sent many of their troops in and-"

"I understand."

"Over two-thirds of our rebellion died. Including my father and mother. My sister died soon after from a blood infection."

I look at the post office again and I tear seeps out of my eye. Someone has died here. In this post office. Their memory will not be in vein. I will avenge anyone's death. I will. On my dying breath.

"Where is everyone at?" Annoyed asked across the road.

"Hiding." Zavier says. "They are farther in the city."

I forgot that we are in the first 50 yards in the city. It's so big. How big is this place?  

We continued walking. I jump over rubble and either crushed or abandon cars. And walk around the occasional body. I wonder why they didn't bury them. The streets are so messed up that I can't tell what's a street or what's a park or what was a building.

I climb onto an old fountain and swing around in circles. I try to picture what this placed looked like before it was destroyed. For a quick second, I seen it. It was bright, beautiful, orderly and filled with vehicles and people. Then it disappeared into mass destruction. 

"En, we have to keep going." Zavier ordered.

I roll my eyes and climb down the fountain. As we get farther into the city, the more rubble there is. I can see a large pile of rubble, probably where a large building was. I stand on top of it and look in the cracks. I can see and eye looking at me. I jump and fall backwards, rolling down the pile. My shirt got snagged on a metal pole and gripped my shirt. Annoyed stopped me from falling back any farther.

"En, are you okay?" Annoyed asked and helped me to my feet.

I rub my head and said, "Yeah, I'm good."

I look at my arm and see a small drop of blood roll down my arm. I pull a shard of glass out and drop it on the ground. It was small, no harm should be done.

"You're bleeding." A panic is in his voice.

"I should be okay." I say and shake Annoyed off. I start climbing again and avoid the spot I was at. I run down the rubble to try to catch up with Zavier. Once I did, I smack his shoulder. He looks at me a smiles.

"Hey, wait for me!" Annoyed shouts and climbs down the rubble.

"Then keep up!" I shout at him.

"Hey, I'm not that slow." Annoyed says then jogged up to us.