The Ruins To Life

Chapter One

Everyone thinks they know the definition of chaos. They think chaos is when a family is late to catch their plane. Chaos would be a car jam in the center of a busy town. Chaos is two kids challenging each other to a fist fight while everyone cheers them on.
   No, that's not chaos. You haven't seen chaos.
   People screaming and running, grabbing their children and maybe even other children who've lost their parents is chaos. It's when you still hear the leftover rumbling from a few miles away where fire engulfed buildings due to a plane crashing.
   Chaos is all the thoughts and feelings going through your mind as you stare at the smoke filled sky.
   But it's even more so when you hear your heart over every scream, every crash, and every sound of another incoming plane soaring through the sky.
   Everything was a blur. All sounds, all objects, all emotions.
    A girl a few years older than me fell to the ground, waking me up from my shock. As she scrambled up, I started running the direction of the city.
   "What are you doing?" a man screamed at me after I had shoved his shoulder accidentally.
   "My family! My family is in there!"
   A look of pity flashed across his face before he turned and kept running.
I have to find them.
   "Skyler!" Running towards me I found a familiar set of blue eyes.
   "David!" I ran to him as he ran towards me and we both hugged so tight, glad that the other was still alive. "Mom and Dad? Where are they?"
   "Sky..."
   "Where are they?" I repeated, sharper than last time.
   "They were where the cra-"
   All of the sudden a plane had so rapidly smashed into the ground not too far from where we stood, sending us back. Another chorus of screams flooded the stampeded park.
   The roar of the landing was so loud that all I could hear in my left ear was a long beep. My eyes stung from the dust, but I could still see. I stood up, aching and bruised. "David?"
   "I'm right here. We have to go."
   I turned and saw him looking in concern at a wound on his leg. A gash.
   "No! Mom and Dad could still be alive!"
   "No Skyler, they aren't! And nor will we if we keep standing here like idiots, now come on!" He yelled, grabbing my arm and rushing forward.
   I realized there was no one around. I didn't want to know what happened to them.
I felt the tears stinging the cuts in my face. My legs ached and my heart was sore. How could this be any more than just a night mare? But no, I still heard the creaming from inside the city.
We had just found the lining of the woods when I stopped the both of us.
I took one last glance back at the city where my parents and thousands of other people laid with the ashes.
The dark city where I once lived in was now in ruins.

We propped ourselves up against a tree, examining each other's wounds.
"Nothing broken, just cuts and bruises. But my leg..."
"We need to clean it. We could go to the lake and-"
"No, that's stupid. The lake is dirty, it could lead to more infection. You should know that." His eyebrows were furrowed together. He tone sounded annoyed, but his face was still soft. Sad.
"Dave, I was just trying to help..."
He sighed, burying his face in his hands. After a could of minutes, he said, "Sky I'm sorry. I know you were trying to help, it's just-"
"It's okay." I placed my hand on his shoulder, not exactly sure what to think. If I should be mourning the death of my parents, confused at the situation, mad at the world, wondering whether this was real or not, or thankful that David and me are still alive. I felt all but none at the same time. The feelings were too much so they all disappeared.
And for the first time in forever, I saw my brother cry. "I was right there." His voice was hushed and cracked. "I was right there," he repeated, shaking his head. "I could've saved them, I just..." he trailed off, lost in his own sorrow and guilt.
"Then you wouldn't be alive either. And nor would I. If you hadn't stopped me, I would've gone right in."
He looked at me and then back at the tree he was staring at just a moment ago.
All of the sudden, I heard a sound of bushes moving. We both turned to see where it was coming from. Sure enough, a child around the age of four came out from behind the bushes with her plush bear. "Have you seen my mommy?" she asks, holding the bear up to her face.
David and I glance at each other, worried. "No, I'm sorry, I haven't," I said.
She looked up through the trees, her eyes watering. "My mommy said that if I got lost then I should hug a tree. But I want to go find her."
"You'll get even more lost if you go out into the woods. Sit with us."
She hesitated before she came and sat down next to me. Her eyes kept on me, looking up in wander.
"What's your name?" David asked, shuffling so he'd be more pointed towards the girl. He winced as he hit his leg on the tree.
"Careful," I automatically said.
"Hailey. What happened to your leg? Do you need a band-aid?"
He gave her a sad smile. "No, it's okay. My name's David, and this is Skyler," he nodded towards me.
Her eyes grew wider. "Like the sky? Is that why your eyes are blue? Or was it a nickname?"
"No, I actually used to have green eyes when my parents named me."
"Where are they right now?"
I choked back a sob, but still kept smiling. "What do you last remember of your parents, Hailey?" I asked without giving her an answer.
   "Well, my mommy and I were at the park when we saw the planes and she told me to run, but when I turned around I couldn't find her. She got lost in the crowd of all the people."
   "Oh. And your dad?"
   She kept silent. Then she said, "My daddy was on his way back from Florida. Mommy said he was riding a plane. There were planes coming down.  Do you think he was on one of the planes?"
   She looked up at me hopefully as if I knew the answer and the answer was no. But I didn't know, and nor did I know what to say. "I'm sure... I'm sure your daddy's fine. And your mommy
too. We'll find them."
  It was the wrong thing to say. Hailey's smile stretched to her eyes. "Good!" she squeaked. "Can we play something?"

I watched as she carefully cleaned the dishes. "Dave, Sky is going to the park, you should go with her. Maybe get some sun on you. You're getting paler."
   David smiled and shook his head. "I'll go but I won't be in the park, I'll be getting some books from the library."
   "Thank goodness," I said. "I'm fourteen, I don't need my older brother to take me everywhere."
   Just then my dad came in, still in his pajama pants from taking a nap. "Yes, you need someone to protect you from boys. I'm sure one day you're going to go to the 'park' to meet a 'friend'."
   I softly slapped him. "Yeah, right. No guys would rather hang out with me than other girls my age."
  Dad raised his eyebrows but kept walking.
   I rolled my eyes. "Okay, let's go."
   "Oh, wait, go without me for now I still have a little homework to finish up and then I'll be on my way, okay?"
   "Okay," I said and walked out the door.
   "Be careful!" Mom waved as she dried a bowl. "Have fun."
   I picked up my bike which was leaning against the brick wall and headed down the street. Deeper in our city was where all the towers and work places were, but here it was mainly just a shopping and recreational center.
   Outside it was beautiful and everyone was out. I was tempted to stop by a clothes store but I had little money and I didn't want to feel tempted to spend it.
   Finally I had stopped by the park.
   I got my earbuds and iPod out of my pocket and played some of my favorite songs as I strolled around, watching as the children would chase each other around, moms would gossip, and dads would just sit there with their arms crossed.
   When all of the sudden I heard a loud bang.
   It sounded like something was shutting down.
   I looked behind me at the city, and in a line, one by one the power was going out. Then it had gotten to the towers, the windows going dark from the bottom all the way up to the top.
   I had never seen anything like it. Everything around me went silent because everyone was watching.
   Surely it was just a city blackout.
   But from what?
   Before I knew it, a couple of planes started rapidly coming down, their wings spinning and creating white streaks in the sky. They were headed towards the city.
   People started screaming.
   One of the wings had broken off on one of the planes, causing a big explosion and sending the plane elsewhere, somewhere in the woods behind me, but the other was headed straight for the section of homes.
   Headed straight towards my house.

It was silent now. I leaned against a tree, staring out at the city. There were still buildings on fire. It has spread to buildings that weren't even touched by the planes' destruction. There must have been about five of them that struck us.
   Only one of the towers was still up, but I knew it would eventually crumble. It leaned, part of the middle was missing, and I could hear it creaked from all the way over here.
   I had left David and Hailey back in the woods. The city I once lived in was now in pieces, just like me.
   Something caught my eye. Logs were scattered on the ground near the city.
   But the moment I realized they weren't logs, I couldn't look. My eyes were watering from the smoke and my hurt. I turned, wiping the tears away.
   I can't cry. I can't cry now. It's weak. I must be strong.