Missing Home

Destruction

Ameilia's POV:

Amelia sat alone in her apartment or Lucia's apartment or someone's apartment, she wasn't sure what to call it anymore. As Amelia's head banged against the wall of her bedroom she became increasingly frustrated. At herself, at the world, at Lucia. Amelia's head was throbbing as she stumbled to the kitchen, her hands wavered over the bottle of liquor in her fridge. But then the blare of her ringtone echoed in the empty kitchen. With unsteady hands, Amelia tried to decline the call but accidently swiped the wrong way.

"Where are you?" Bri screamed.

Amelia's head was throbbing from the noise, she wobbled as she grabbed the counter. Gripping the marble countertop to steady herself Amelia blinked against the harsh city lights.

"In my apartment." She shielded her eyes from the bright flashes of color. 'Was there a firework show tonight?'

"Are you drunk?" Bri screamed louder, "nevermind you need to leave now! Get to an open space and hide. Or better yet find a way to my place!"

Amelia blinked trying to process what Bri was screaming about. "Why would I have to hi--" her words were cut off by an explosion. The building in front of her exploded, concrete getting blasted far into the sky before crashing down towards the people standing in horror below.

Bri's POV:

"Amelia! Ami!" Bri stopped running to check her cell phone. The connection was lost, then the city went dark. From her home in the suburbs, Bri was safe. She could still see the smoke against the fading sunlight as a bright purple light took out another building. Panicked, Bri ran. She ran and ran until she got to her front door. Crashing into the living room she could hear her house phone ringing. Diving for the phone, Bri picked up without reading the ID.

"Bri, did you see the--" Winonia's voice was cut off by screaming.

"Winnie!" The line went silent.

"I'm okay, Grant is bringing people in from outside."

Bri grabbed her remote and flicked on the TV, indeed Grant was instructing people to go to Winonia's house for protection.

"Have you heard from Ami?"

"She's drunk in her apartment" Bri swallowed hard, she watched as the camera was switched to another reporter. This one closer to the chaos, another building exploded behind her. The reporter turned to face it, the camera jostled as the person behind it ducked for cover. The device fell to the ground with a loud crack and the reporter fell with it. She stopped moving and the camera switched back to Grant.

From behind him, volunteers were handing out coffee.

"Tell Grant people can come to the suburbs too, I'll get something ready." With that Bri hung up the phone and went to her kitchen. She picked up her dining table and brought it outside, setting up shop. From around her, neighbours began doing the same. Sandwiches, bottled water, clean clothes, and children's toys began filling different tables. Even Karen from the HOA was helping out! As Bri brought out the last of her emergency supplies outside, she watched the sun set. Her fingers twitched, she wanted to chase after Amelia, she wanted to save her friend. But the world was ending and she was needed here. To protect the ones still left.

Grant struggled to keep himself positive. People were flooding in, his co-workers all trying to create safe zones. As he watched the chaos his headset beeped,

"Hello?" His voice wavered as he waited.

"Grant, it's Hunter. I have an update."

Grant's breathing grew scattered as he listened, he struggled to calm himself as Hunter listed the few safe zones left in the city.

"Grant? Grant!" Hunter yelled at him, "can you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah I can." Grant signaled to his cameraman to start rolling. "This is Grant Geist with breaking news, the inner city has been decimated by an unknown force. The following places have become designated safe zones with officials standing by. Red café on Boardwalk and Bowser Street, Saint James Middle School, Coconut mall and Taco Bell Stadium.

Grant's headset beeped. "I stand corrected, Taco Bell Stadium has fallen, I repeat do NOT go to Taco Bell Stadium, it has been destroyed." Grant took a breath and continued, "I now hand things over to Hunter of the Emperor times. Hunter, how are things on your end?"

"Well Grant, the explosions seem to be coming from one source. Officials are trying to speak to the unknown assailant." Hunter was out of breath before he tapped his headset "However I am now joined by Firefighter Matthew Baker, what's the plan Matthew?"

The fire fighter grabbed Hunter's mic and for the first time Grant let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey Grant," Matthew winked. "Not sure if I'll be home for dinner tonight, things are looking pretty bad on this end." From behind Matthew, two children ran past the camera carrying a third person above their heads. Scrambling away from the chaos.

"MAGIC IS REAL!! I FUCKING CALLED IT!" The redhead being carried by her friends screamed.

"Shut up!" The two children carrying her yelled in unison as they raced away.

"We are going to try shooting the being with the firefighter hose to see if that helps." Matthew said, ignoring the chaos behind him. "But in case I don't make it." Matthew went down on a knee. "Grant will you--"

The camera cut off. "Hunter? Matty?" Grant yelled into his mic only to get whining feedback. The unholy screech forced Grant to rip off his headset to protect his ears. Another explosion rocked the city.

Luz:

All she could taste was blood. Luz coughed as more was ejected out of her. Painting the concrete wall in front of her with red. Struggling she drew another glyph, trying to see what she was writing. Her eyes blacked out for a second as the magic around her floated to a standstill.

"Come out! We have you surrounded!" A loud and heavy voice yelled through a microphone. The Luz illusion beside her was covered in little red dots.

Luz smiled, glad that her little trick had worked, she finished writing her glyph as the voice continued its empty threats.

"We will shoot!"

A blue explosion took out the building to Luz's right. 'Huh?' Confused Luz considered investigating. But she didn't have the time or the energy. Instead Luz activated her glyph, purple electricity engulfed the room as Luz tried to concentrate. The downtown lights flickered and the rubble around her began to lift. Floating above the ground because of her spell.

Then it all fell back into place, her magic wasn't strong enough. She tried again, her fingers wet with blood as she drew onto the concrete.

'What changed? Magic should work, my glyph should work!' As Luz scribbled away she began thinking about what she needed to access magic. 'Titan blood?' Luz shook her head, her bile sack should have worked as a replacement. She continued to draw, then she saw it. The glyph began to shine, lighting up the walls around her.

A bullet whizzed past her head, then more and more. As the soldiers outside began to shoot into the building. Luz slapped the Glyph and fell through the world.