My Light in the Darkness

What Happened

"Get up!" My mother shook me awake with one arm, the other grasping onto Gabby's hand. Her tear stained cheeks and frantic expression cured my tiredness.

I shared quick glances with my sister before my mom finally pulled me out of the bed.

"Get dressed," she ordered. Grabbing my backpack, she started throwing in clothes, a little of each. "A black sweater," she spoke quick, throwing the dark fabric at me. I noticed Gabby tremble with fear, clad in the same clothing I was being forced to wear.

"What's happening?" I asked, pulling the sweater over my head. It fell loosly around my small figure and I realised it wasn't even mine, but my older brothers, Gerrett.

"It's the purge. It started early," she nearly cried. Just then, my father burst through the door and threw keys at my mother.

"I sent Gerret on his way already, him and his friends." Then, before time to answer, the sound of a window shattering gathered all our attention. "They're here," he spoke hurridly, his chest rising and falling with each gasp of air.

"Who's here!?" I almost screamed. My legs shook beneath me, scared wasn't close to how I feeling.

My dad looked to me and my sister. Sorrow was all I could see, sorrow, regret, and fear. He took one look behind him, scoping out the hall, before closing the door. He knealed down infront of us, taking one hand of ours into his. He rubbed small circles, soothing us both as he spoke softly, "bad people sweety. Really bad people." The way his eyes scanned over us made me shiver in terror, it was like it would be the last time he ever saw us. "Listen. I won't see you guys for a while, okay? Stay safe, stay together." He looked to Gabby, "Keep your sister safe," she gave him a tight lip smile and he returned it. He wipped away her tears and she leaned into his touch. "And you," he sniffled and I saw the tears in his eyes, "you stay with your sister, you hear me? You be good."

I didn't stop the tears that now had a steady flow. My arms wrapped around his neck, his clasping around my waist. He held me for a minute before bringing Gabby and mom into it as well.

"I love you girls," he whispered, giving us one last tight squeeze.

He raised himself from the floor and turned to his wife, "I love you, you gave me the best 17 years of my life and the best family a man could have ever asked for," he brought her into a passionate kiss and then vanished through the door without another word.

She took a minute to regather herself, and grab the bag she packed for me, and walked towards the door. "Stay behind me, be quiet, and if anything happens, run and stay together," her orders were clear, but I didn't understand why someone would come for us.

We made it out the back door and to the car when we heard gunshots and loud shouting coming from inside the house. My mom turned to us in a panic, but she mostly looked to Gabby. Without a word, she dug in her pocket and pulled out the keys.

"Go," she demanded. We stood there, dumbfounded. Then two more shots rung out through the air. "Stay together, stay safe, I love you girls!" she cried, pulling us both in to kiss our foreheads. "Drive out to L.A. Your aunt expects you, you know the way Gabby."

"I love you mom," Gabby cried after her as she ran back into the house. Turning to me, she forced my screaming body into the car.

And then we drove off without another word.

In the backpack mom packed, we found wauds upon wauds of cash, a credit card, and weapons.

Two handguns and a good six full rounds each.

When we were little, Dad taught us how to shoot. It was traumitizing for him, having to teach his little girls how to shoot a gun to defend themselves.

"Do you remember how to shoot?" Gabby asked, not taking her eyes off the road.

I nodded my head, hoping she would see it. I couldn't be bothered to speak, not right now at least.

"Good."

We drove for hours, only stopping every four to raid an already trashed gas station. I was never allowed to leave her side, we snuck around in shadow, only ever coming across an equally scared teenager. Neither of us shot, only kept distance.

For two days thats what we did. We even managed to sneak inside an unoccupied house with all the appliences still in tact. We showered- only five minutes for us each- and stayed the night tucked away upstairs in a spacious walk in closet. The next day, we found appropriate clothing and slipped them on, our old clothes were filled with dirt and smelled like death.

Every city we passed was trashed, car windows smashed, doors off their hinges, a dead body here and there. Graffity decorated the walls of the city, screams filled the air. It was a waiste land.

We caught word of what was happening from a group of reckless teenagers who were lingering in the back alleyway. We, of course, kept our presence a secret.

The purge was now an everyday thing. No one knew why, maybe this was like the hungergames? With little cameras and rich people watching us, laughing. No one knew for sure, but it seemed to be the only logical explanation.

We arrived in L.A on day three. The last day the car survived. Everywhere was trashed and there was no place to get gas. So, we had to walk. We stayed in the shadow, only moving at night, during the day, we hid in whatever we could. One time, we even had to climb a tree to escape some rampaging lunatic with a knife.

It took us around two days to get through the city and to Aunt Edna's. All together it took me and my sister four days to get there safely.

The memory all together made me shudder.