Left Alone

Collateral Damage

 Some

-

"Excuse me."

It was February, around lunchtime, and an unusually pleasant day, so Adalia had decided to take a walk through one of the nearby parks.

"Oh. Yes?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but my little boy's run off, have you seen him? He's, well, he's stripped naked it seems," the woman said with a nervous laugh, "so I'd like to find him before he causes any trouble." Her tone was light, but it sounded slightly forced.

"No, sorry, I haven't. I'll keep an eye out."

"Well, thanks anyway." The woman continued along the path.

I wonder how old he is? Adalia thought to herself. She was glad Adrian had grown out of pulling his clothing off in public. She wondered what he was doing right now. He might be outside right now too, if his preschool decided the weather was good enough, although he'd have to be bundled up in his snowsuit first. No nudity for him this time of year. If there was snow there, he might make snow angels or snowmen, or just jump around in it.

She was glad to be at college, but she felt sad at the idea she was missing him grow up. She'd wanted to go to the school, of course, and it wasn't like Mom needed her to be around for Adrian...

"Excuse me," a man said. "I'm looking for my daughter, have you seen a little girl? I don't know what's gotten into her, she's taken all her clothes off and run off." He sounded like he was getting frantic and trying, unsuccessfully, not to sound like it.

"I - no, I'm sorry."

"Thanks," he said, and broke into a tight jog down another path.

Further along ahead of Adalia a woman was sitting on the bench reading a book, a baby carriage next to her. She looked over, dropped the book, and jumped to her feet. Then she screamed.

Adalia sped up. The woman was groping at the carriage, like she was trying to find something she couldn't see, pulling out blankets and throwing them away without a thought, accompanied by a small yellow infant frock that fluttered sadly to the ground, and then she rocked back, looking around desperately.

"My baby, someone's taken my baby!" she screamed

There was another scream further away, as if in answer, then more all around, like a crack in the ice spreading outward.

And then there was a scream from above. She looked frantically for the source and saw a low plane in the sky. For a moment she felt relief that this was all it was, and then the sound become louder and she realized it was lower than she'd ever seen and still dropping. She watched in disbelief as it grew larger and the sound turned to a roaring shriek, and then it finally went out of sight for a moment behind the buildings, followed by a deep boom and cloud of debris.

Adalia turned and started back for the dorms, speeding up until she was running. There were stopped cars in the street with sweaters and shirts sitting in the driver's seat, and there were people on the sidewalks, some just staring up at the sky and others running like she was, and no one spared her a second glance. There was no one in the room when she got there, but she didn't think anything of it. She sat on her bed and took several deep breaths, then dug her cell phone out of her bag.

She dialed home automatically and held it tightly against her ear as it rang over and over. Then there was a click and the answering machine started.

Of course. It was a workday, no one was home. She didn't have their work numbers on her, or Adrian's school number. Oh god, Adrian... All those parents running looking for their children.