Cataclysm

2.0

Was this because of me? Was it my fault? When had this happened?

Question after question tumbled through my troubled mind as I stared at the remains of the building. It looked a few days old, and that it had been mostly contained, but everything was gone. Hundreds of people had lost their homes. Hundreds of people had lost everything.

All I could do was stare at it. I guess that's all I was good at. I couldn't think of a solution. I couldn't think of a response. All I could do was stare.

A moment passed, and then someone called my name. "Joel?" she said in disbelief.

I turned to look and saw that it was the old neighbor lady who loved literally everyone. She'd been a widow for many years, and her children had moved all over the country, so she treated everyone younger than her like her own children.

"Joel, I knew I recognized you, even with that funny colored hair," she said, coming toward me. "I'm so sorry about your apartment. Everything is gone."

"What about you?" I whispered, unable to bring my voice any louder.

"Oh, I'll be fine." She glanced around nervously, like we were being watched. On second tonight, I felt it, too, and looked over my shoulder. "They say you did it, you know," she said, her voice low.

"Me?" I nearly shrieked, bringing my voice down in just time.

"Yes, you."

"But I ..." I couldn't believe it. Me?

"I don't believe it, either. You have a good heart. But that means you need to stay as far away from here as you can. Someone has already tried to plead you innocent, but I'm sorry. As far as they're concerned, you burnt it down. Stay safe, Joel. You're a good boy. And if anyone asks -" She winked at me, the wrinkles around her eyes crinkling. "I didn't talk to you." And with that, she gestured for me to leave, before they found me.

I hurried back to Anna's, suddenly terrified. The Refs knew I wasn't an Unnatural, and they knew I'd be hard to find in a place I was so familiar with, so they had other ways of rooting me out - letting the others do it for them. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and kept my head down, glancing behind me every three seconds.

Only a few blocks from Anna's, a police craft turned its lights on, wailing behind me, and I knew they'd found me. They'd only send me back to the games, or maybe just kill me themselves - either way, I couldn't let that happen, so I took off running.

It wasn't my brightest move, I'll have you know.

I shoved through the crowds on the street - that seemed so much thicker now than they'd been only a few minutes earlier. I tripped way too many times, nearly falling flat on my face, but I pushed on, panicked adrenaline coursing through my veins. I couldn't breathe. I could barely see where I was going. All I knew what that I had to get out. 

They were gaining on me. That much was obvious. All of the other cars and crafts had to obey the traffic laws and pull over, so they had a clear shot at me. I needed to escape them somehow. Where could I go? They'd see me wherever I turned. 

Then I had an idea. I spun into an alley, slipping on a patch of ice and slamming painfully into the wall. I ignored the low throbbing, starting in my head and shooting down my spine, and ran across the alley, ducking behind garbage bins and heading for the other street. They'd have to go around to catch me. 

There were two police crafts - one stayed at the end of the alley to catch me if I turned around, while the other one flew around the corner as fast as they could to get to the other street before I did. I made it out first, before they even rounded the block, and scanned the streets as I ran for another alley to duck into. My legs were weakening and my lungs and heart burned, but I couldn't stop now. My life depended on it. I knew if it didn't, I would have collapsed long ago. Funny how a life or death situation call dull everything else and give you strength.