Awaken

Chapter Two

My head spins as the earth stops rumbling, leaving me shaken and confused. It is currently night time, I must have passed out. Nothing around me looks the same anymore my house is torn apart. Houses have been left to rot and the city lay in ruins, broken and burning. My thoughts begin to race as I try to remember what had happened, but a noise catches my attention, it sounds like whimpering. Getting up from the ground I walk towards the sound, it leads me towards my neighbor's house. It looks unrecognizable, it was just a pile of broken wood. As I got closer the sound becomes more recognizable as it I found the little dog that my father hated. The toy like poodle lay trapped under a pile of splintered wooden shards, various cuts could be seen covering his fluffy white body as the blood seeps from the festering wounds.

 

“Randy, here boy.” I call to the injured dog hoping somehow he would be able to crawl out and save himself. Tears begin to roll down my cheek as I know that poor little Randy may stop breathing soon. I want to focus on trying to help the poodle even though there is nothing I can do, because I did not want to think of my parents sharing the same fate as Randy. He eventually manages to limp from the timber planks towards my coaxing hands, and as he steps from the darkness of the rubble and into the light of the few remaining street lamps I can see his wounds are superficial and with a bit of tender care he will live a happy life...or the happiest he can have in what is left of Manhattan.

 

I try to look for shelter now or if there even is any other people around, whilst holding the injured puppy and looking for anything possible that can help the poor thing. It is strange not seeing another living person or animal, there are no birds in the sky and the only sounds I can hear are the buildings falling to the ground. I wonder whether if everyone was evacuated by the government or something, it struck me as curious to be the only one left here. Did they dismiss me for dead? I hope I’ll be able to find someone or some place soon, to help me to be able to survive this unreal nightmare.

 

I struggle to remember the events of this morning. What could have lead to this strange occurrence,and why didn't the government warn us about the impending quakes? Especially one strong enough to put the city in ruins. My mind refuses to wrap around the possibility that the government has set us up for death and destruction. I think for a moment as the frosty night drags on. Randy and I needed shelter, somewhere to keep warm for the night. Randy whimpers in my arms and I automatically think of the school, and looking for shelter there.  

I didn’t have a second thought before I could feel my legs moving forward. The school is three blocks from here but the chill hangingin the air has me struggling in my tee-shirt and pajama pants. Even with the ruins around me, I still have hope the school would be in one piece or enough to block the cold air that surrounds us. As I approach the school I see that most of it still stands and I am able to find my way in through a swinging door.There is still no sign of life. There just has to be someone else around I can not be the only person left on this earth. As I walked through the once lively hall I called out, “Anyone alive?” My heart began to sink when there was no response.  I hear a slight cough and am revived again. I rush over to where the noise emitted, Randy bobbing in my arms. “Hello?” I spoke  loud enough so that whomever may be out there can here me and slowed  my pace.