The Holdout: Cera's Story

Prologue

    "Cera!" loud thunder and cracking filled the room.
    "Wake up, Cera!" A woman called.
    Cera opened her eyes to see her mother. She was covered in dust and her face was full of fear and urgency.
     Cera quickly jump out of her toddler bed and to her feet. The earth below shook with great force, making it hard to stand. Fear quickly consumed her as well.
     As they ran through the house her mother called, "Séan! Max!"
    "Where is Daddy and Max, Mommy?" Cera had now had tears in eyes from fright and worry. Where was everyone?
    Cera's mom pulled Cera toward the back door, doging logs and small fires. Adrenalin coursing though their veins. What was happening?
    They finally reached the back door and Cera's mom pushed Cera in front and quickly opened the door.
    "Run, Cera! Run!" Cera's mom called pushing Cera even farther ahead of her.
    The was breaking beneath their feet. Huge chucks of land fell behind them, quickly catching up. Cera's mother knew they were not fast enough. With the earth falling beneath her feet, Cera's mom picked her up and launched Cera forward in hope that her precious child would live.
    Cera landed on the hard ground just in time as the ground fell. She turned to see her beloved mother fall into the seemingly obisis of the hole.
    "Mommy!" Little Cera cried running closer to the drop. Her mother was nowhere in sight. Tears streamed down her face. Her vision was blurry from tears and her face was red from screaming and crying.
     She had lost her family in one day. Sadness consumed her. All she wanted was her family back together, but she knew it wasn't possible. She couldn't shake this feeling of guilt off her shoulders.
      Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud bus engine filling her mind. She turned around to see a gigantic yellow school bus. It was old, rusty, and the color was almost completely faded. The stop sign was barely on and there wasn't a hood on the engine of the bus.
     Terrified, Cera took a step back. A tall man with curly and bushy black hair stepped out of the vehicle. He was wearing a red shirt with a huge tear down the back along with a scar, and jeans full of holes.
    "Hello little girl," he said, crouching down, "What's your name?"
    "C-Cera." she muttered.
    "Hi Cera, my name is Roger and I'm here to save survivors of Swallows and it looks like you're one of them. Where is your family?"
    Cera slowly and painfully pointed toward the Swallow.
    "Oh," remorse filled his eyes, "I see. Well we can take in and protect and love you like a family. We care and want you safe. What do you say? Do you want to be part of the Holdout?"
     The word family filled her with depression and joy. She could have a family again. Not knowing what she was agreeing to, she nodded and followed the man into the bus. It was full of kids and adults of all kinds.
    "You're lucky we found you when we did," Roger said, "because we were about to go back to base. Then we felt the ground shaking and knew what was happening. A Swallow. Then we met you." He let out a small laugh.
     Cera sat in a empty seat and watched as they drove away from the hole that once was her home.