New Beginnings

Family is a precious gift

~Chapter 5~

       ~Family is a precious gift ~

Oww, my head. Where am I? What is this place? 

As I awake on a large hill, I notice everything is bright and jolly. The sun is shining bright and high over the horizon of distant mountains, trees are growing tall and high, and flowers are blooming beautifully in many colors. I look to my right and see a beautiful valley, covered in fresh green grass. On my left, I see a bright blue ocean, swaying upon a beach with rich, white sand. In the distance, I see three people approach me. Two of them were an elderly man and woman, the other is a young woman about the same age as me.

“Hello.” The elderly woman said.

“Do I know you?” I ask in curiosity. 

She pauses for a few minutes and turn to the sea smiling, “I’m sure you do, son.” 

Once she said that, I then realized who the three people were and my eyes started to water up. 

“Mom? Dad? Julie? I said about to burst into tears. The three most important people in my life are standing before my eyes.

“You guys were-” 

“Don’t worry. It’s alright sweetie,” She said pulling me into a hug, “It’s alright.” I hugged her tightly and cried into her shoulder. I didn’t care for anything anymore. I was with my family again. I felt safe once more.

“I thought I’ll never see you guys again!” I try to say while crying. 

“We’re here.” Julie said while joining the hug.

“Wait…you’re not real.” I said backing away. My dad stepped up closer to me pointed to my chest.

“Son,” he said with a pause, “We are real. We will ALWAYS be real because we’re in your heart. Through the hurt and the pain, we will be with you. Don’t forget that, ok?” He said slightly thumping my chest.  

“Ok.” I said hugging him this time. “I’ll remember.”

When I said that, my mom held her hands in a cup like shape showing people from the refugee center. “No, we are not the only ones whose your family, son.” “Those people are your family too.

“You’re right. You’re absolutely right.” I said smiling with a tear.

When I looked up everything was pitch black. No life, no colors, no light was shown. It was just me and the empty abyss. When I started to panic I heard a young female’s voice yelling my name.

“Markus! Wake the hell up!”

I couldn’t wake up because I didn’t want to leave. My dream was coming to a horrible end and reality then smacks me in the face…literally.  When it did, I sat up to find myself on a hospital stretcher, bleeding out of my left arm. In front of me was Sally. She had a deep gash across her forehead and bruises everywhere.

“Get up! We have to go! There inside the camp and we need to evacuate so get your sorry tail up and let’s move!” Sally pulled me off the stretcher and forced my arm around her shoulders. 

 “What…what’s happening?!” I yelled 

“No time to explain! Just move!”

As Sally and I headed for the emergency exit, I noticed bots were swarming in through the front gate. They were destroying everything. Once we went through the exit door, we ended up in a back alley.

“Quickly, push the trash cans in front the door!” Sally commanded. 

“We need to get out of here!” Jeff said.

“How in the hell are we gonna get out of here with those bots everywhere?” Cindy asked.

“I got an idea.” Sam interrupted.

“Well. Spit it out!” Sally demanded.

“There’s this cellar, at the end of this alley. It has a tunnel that leads all the way out into the wastelands, just outside the city. Once you reach the wastelands, there will be a large cabin. It’s filled with canned foods and it has plenty of guns with ammunition. I’ve been building it over the times.” He said.

“Why haven’t you said anything about this cabin way earlier than this?” Sally yelled.

“It was just going to be a backup building for times like this.” Sam said.

After what just happened backup bases are life saviors. Running on foot would have probably got us all killed.

“Everyone, head for the tunnel, now!” I commanded. 

The rest of us who survive the ambush scurried to the cellar door. Soon as we reached it, droids came bursting through the door that was barricaded and started charging for us. We were all in the tunnel but droids came closer so Cindy and Sam we’re at the top.

“Go! Now! I’ll hold ‘em off for as long as I can! Just go to the cabin.” Sam yelled from the top.

“We can’t just leave you here!” Cindy yelled.

“You have no choice!” Sam pushed Cindy down the cellar,  She landed with a loud thump on the ground. “I’m sorry!” Sam yelled from the top.

Sam slammed the cellar doors shut and stood to face the droids. He quickly pulled a switch with a red button in the middle from his jacket he was wearing. 

“I knew a time like this will come… it’s time for me to light up the night…3…2…1…”

Sam pressed the button and his body started glowing white. The buildings surrounding him started to shake and shatter. His body grew brighter and brighter until he was a blinding light. Glass windows burst open, wooden doors and poles instantly caught on fire. A few seconds later, boom. A massive explosion incinerated a mile into complete ash.

I stopped walking and asked, “What was that?” 

Sally’s eyes watered up, “That…was Sam.”

“Guys,” Jeff shouted from in front the group, “Let’s go!”

Sally and I walked faster to catch up to the group. Our old home was gone with Sam and now it’s time to discover a new one.