Land of Eight

1- A Familiar Air

A Familiar Air

Chapter One

Date: January 12, 2019

Word count: 2254

I felt it before I was even fully awake. That shift in the air.

It felt heavier, soaked with violence and revenge.

I didn't move. I didn't blink.

I lay on my bed, in the rather uncomfortable position I had awoken in. And waited. It had happened before, more times than I could count, yet here I was. Still. Silent.

I knew exactly what I was waiting for. Yet for some reason, it didn't come.

I began to count the minutes that went by.

Protocol.

After 12 the air had gotten so thick it became hard for me to breathe. I took in slow deep breathes, maximizing my oxygen intake. Moving would make it worse, make me dizzy, make me pass out.

Protocol

At 22 minutes, I still didn't hear it. And I started to get nervous. The masks should have dropped by now, what went wrong?

This wasn't protocol.

But I didn't move. Not at 25 minutes. Not at 30.

But at 40 I opened my eyes. Something was wrong. We had been trained to respond to the air. Protocol had been etched into every corner of our body. You did not. Ever. Break. Protocol.

None of us wanted to find out what happened if we did.

One. Do not move, stay put until the alarm goes off.

Yet I opened my eyes.

Yet I lift my head.

Yet...

Yet I look out my window.

But nothing. The streets were clear, the clouds full and lazy. Deserted. Not even the Stormers could be seen. Light rain began to patter through the bars of my pane-less window

Two. Avoiding all windows and open doors, make your way to your mask.

Yet there was no mask.

It had been 40 minutes since I woke up from the air. My parent's house was one of the first to be affected by the stormer's heavy air since we were right next to the walls encompassing our land boarders, the steel reinforced walls looming behind our back garden. Yet I had never seen a Stormer. Even with my proximity and the frequency of which they attacked...

I sink against the wall under the window, unsure of what to do. If I stayed put, the Stormers would enter the house, just like always and look for those who didn't follow protocol. Yet I am following protocol. Or I was before 40 minutes passed. But where were the Stormers?

I blew out an inaudible annoyed breath of air, frustrated at the position I was in. But I rolled back onto my hands and knees and skipped to protocol step three. Once mask is securely fitted, go directly to your safe. There were spare masks there that I could use. I took a few deep breathes before moving across my bedroom floor, off to the door. I looked over my shoulder quickly before reaching up and turning the doorknob. To my great relief, it moved, and my head stuck into the hallway.

Empty.

Four. Do not stop for others. Do not use any electronic devices. Avoid all windows. Go directly to your safes.