Blood

Skybrook

I hit my head, and the ringing in my ears began. My vision swayed.

The first wave of shockwaves subsided, and the girls scrambled into the red sedan. I jumped in, sliding across the backseat, and Scarlet followed.

"Hit it!" Someone yelled. The car lurched forward and sped off onto open road, throwing me backwards.

I found myself in someone's lap. I got up, and watched the scene unfold. Ember was at the wheel, swerving around cracks in the earth resembling the gates of hell. Alongside us was another car, and Ronaldo, riding passenger seat, was pointing at me.

My phone rang.
"Hey, this is Aiden. There are six of us here, how many in your car?"

"Six." I replied, taking a quick headcount. "Seven, with Scarlet."

"Kay, hold on." There was mumbling on the other side of the line.

"The school board wants us to evacuate into the mountains." he said.

"I've seen the shelter they have there. It's probably already rubble." There was a choking noise on the other side of the phone. I looked over to see Aiden, tears streaming down his face.

"So everyone we knew is dead." he whispered.

"Not necessarily, they could have gone somewhere else already." I said, trying my best not to choke up too.

He wiped his face, grinning. "Too bad the apocalypse was today, I wanted to go to the Skybrook opening."

Skybrook. Perfect.

The Skybrook was a chain of superstores that seemed to pop up overnight. They drove practically any store of that scale out of business, and became the staple mall.

They sold everything, ranging from home supplies to weapons.

"Dude, you're a genius. The Skybrook's on the island right?" I asked, planning ahead. If anywhere could sustain us, it was there. The island is where our homes are, and we call it that because it's practically unreachable, apart from the bridge. Around it are cliffs, with a river at the bottom.

"Yeah, they made an allowance on the count that everyone petitioned for it to be near our homes." he replied.

"Okay, I bet the bridge is down on emergency mode to let out anyone who could be at home. Meet us at the Skybrook." I hung up.

"We're going to the Skybrook? Asked Brianna. "It's not open yet."

"The parking lot is. Its our best chance."

We zoomed haphazardly across the bridge, and drew near the Skybrook. Sure enough, the six-story indoor parking garage was open, and the building looked completely intact.

She sped inside, going up three floors. The lighting dyes tend were on.

Thank God.

A few seconds later the other car arrived, and the occupants got out.

I high-fived Aiden. "Good job with this place, I hear its amazing inside." He said.

"Yeah, I thought it was a good idea." I replied.

Roy piped up. "You brought her?" He said, pointing at one girl. I looked at who it was and thought the same thing.

"Yeah, well nobody wants you here, your punk self." she spat.

"Clair, calm down." said Ronaldo.

Clair Roslyn, head of the cheerleading squad, was not about to calm down. Her blue eyes seared, and she continued to whisper profanities at Roy, wiping a strand of light brown hair from her eyes.