Escaping Death

Escaping Death Part 1

     Something's wrong, I glance nervously from the kitchen table, to the closet, then to the basement stairs. Nothing. The only thing out of the ordinary is the lighting. It seems brighter than it should be, almost as if the kitchen itself was radiating sunshine. That can't be the problem, it's something else, something threatening. The feeling of unease is building, becoming more urgent with every beat of my heart. The sensation burning through my chest, then down to the pit of my stomach like glowing embers from a fire forgotten and left to burn. An unseen force guides me up the stairs to the living room.
     The sudden change in behavior catches the attention of my fiancé Korie, who then follows close behind with a questioning expression on her face.
     I make my way to the bay window to check outside and my breath catches in my throat. There is an enormous object hovering in the sky a few miles off. It is large on a scale that only exists in stories. Like an entire city was ripped from its foundations and molded into a monstrous arrowhead like shape. The object is so completely unexpected, so massive that it takes me a second to register it as some sort of aircraft. If it wasn't for the gnawing sensation in stomach, I would be ecstatic. Seeing technology this advanced has always been one of my dreams. However, there is something distinctly ominous about the floating city. It might be from the design, the size, the sudden appearance, or a combination of all three. One thing is for certain though, I feel it down to the marrow in my bones. This ship is bringing death.
     A gasp from my left snaps the world back into focus. Korie is staring open mouthed at the floating monstrosity. "What the hell is that!" She exclaims, not really expecting an answer.
     Quietly, I respond. "I have no idea, but I doubt it's good."
     Grim-faced, she nods. Looking back at me, her voice tense "Grab the guns and all the ammo, we need to prepare"...
     A low rumble cuts through whatever else she was saying. In the distance, the ship seems to be vibrating. The sound so low and powerful that we can feel it in our chest. There is a small pause, then the ship tears forward so fast that it creates some sort of atmospheric explosion. Fire rolls through the sky, looking like a wave of fiery death coming to devour us.
     We scramble down the stairs, hoping the basement will shield us from the oncoming firestorm. Just as our feet hit the bottom floor, the shock wave hits us; the impact like a mule kick to the chest. However, no fire seems to have made it to the ground.
     Stunned but not injured, we glance hesitantly outside to see the extent of the damage. The sky is clear, clearer in fact than I've ever seen it. I stare in amazement at this small miracle in the face of what I thought was almost certain death.
     Unfortunately, this moment of wonder is shattered as Korie points to what looks like lava flowing out of the ground and heading our way. It is about a dozen feet away from us now and flowing quicker than I would have expected. I shout for her to run out the door and escape. She turns on her heel and quickly heads in that direction, me following close behind.
     We turn the corner to the side of the house when I feel my foot sink into the ground, causing me to stumble and fall to one knee. Puzzled, I glance back to see what happened only to find that my foot was gone. The lava had caught me, melting flesh and bone like cotton candy when it touches water. There is no pain really, just a strong pressure. Like someone was wrapping my foot, and now calve in bandages as tight as they could manage. I knew in that moment that I was going to die.
     Weirdly enough, this realization did not terrify me. In fact, the only thing I felt as I was being burning away is determination. I met Kories horrified eyes as she glanced back and saw what was happening. I tried to convey every unspoken thought in that one look, all the whirling emotions I felt for her at any one time, I wish I could show her just how much she truly meant to me.
    How much she understood from the brief eye contact, I'll never know. My body was now almost completely consumed. I shut my eyes and in some vain hope focused my entire will on freeing my consciousness from its physical form. One last ditch effort to cheat death and survive in some capacity, anything to escape the oblivion that is non-existence. Every scrap of energy, all my willpower devoted to this singular impossible task. I feel a spark, a tingling in my very soul, then darkness, and then nothing.