Apocalypse - 2. Chapter 2: Aftermath

By the time the weather calmed, I had no idea how long it had been. I mean, when it seems like the world is being split apart and you hear the screams of your friends around you, the last thing on your mind is 'hey, when's the bell gonna ring?'. No, I if can remember correctly, I'm sure dozens of swears bombarded my mind, well that and the overwhelming need to protect Ashi. I think he was the reason I maintained sanity and consciousness while I heard the screams turn to gurgles. I just held tight to Ashi, attempting to shield him as much as possible, although that was difficult considering we're both 5'7. Thinking back, I wonder if he knew I had feelings for him then, or if he just thought I was being a good.. friend? Regardless, I just continued to guard him, while listening to the endless swears cycle through the hysteria of my mind.

To my relief, the wind did eventually die down, and somewhat quickly too. I remember it going so swiftly, swirling branches, leaves, and debris around the classroom, and then suddenly they lowered. They were still seemingly swirling at the same speed, only with each passing second I could see the branches drop an inch. When they were about a foot from the floor, the wind cut out, and all the debris fell that last foot, landing in what should have been dust, but in parts was being transformed into pools of crimson mud. Although there was no sun, and the sky was still black with the swirling clouds, that eerie blue scar gave enough light for me to see; mimicking the light cast by a full moon, but this one with a blueish tint.

I waited a few minutes, not daring to risk leaving the shelter of the desk, and at the same time not willing to see my classmates, especially after Terku's haunting call. It seemed as though Ashi had the same idea as well. Although I knew he could sense the disaster was beginning to calm, I could feel him shiver slightly, prompting me to hug him tighter. We stayed like that for a few minutes, neither of us talking, nor daring to look at the scene. In fact Ashi had not even lifted his head since the beginning of this, but then again, I can't really blame him.

It was a sudden clap of thunder that shook us both out of our faux tranquility. As the noise entered our ears, we both jumped from each others' embrace. Those vibrant eyes stared into my black ones and I could see that the blue in his seemed to have intensified during this, probably due to his fear, and his hair was streak with gray dust, overwhelming the natural blackened strands.

The first thing Ashi did when he saw me was just stare into my eyes, with a seeming blank.. or stunned expression, and then slowly he put his hand up to my cheek.

“You're bleeding,” he nearly whispered, his voice seeming to have lost all strength.

“What? Shit!” I exclaimed as I foolishly poked at it, causing pain to bloom within the gash. I sighed then explained, “It was the window, when the, uh, storm began. It was a storm right?”

He didn't seem to hear what I said. “You're bleeding,” he said again, and I could notice a tear falling down his unmarked cheek.

“Ashi, are you okay? Ashi?” I was really starting to get concerned when he just looked down and didn't look back up. What was bothering him? Was he in shock? Did he feel guilty? A second clap of thunder interrupted my string of thoughts. I glanced out the shattered window and saw that not far off lighting, thick and blue, was slicing through the sky and impaling the earth below, shattering whatever it hit. After a quick scan of the ceiling I saw that we would not have much protection from the impending storm, and not to mention I didn't really want to hang around when these bodies began to decay.. oh.. the bodies, I still hadn't looked.

Drawing in a breath, and holding it, I gazed about our classroom, at areas previously swallowed by thick clouds of dust. The scene was.. horrific to say the least. Everyone lay sprawled in unnatural positions, as if their bones had liquified during the storm, but the jagged angles of their limbs, not to mention some bones poking through the skin, told me otherwise. It looks as though many simply died from trauma to their head, most likely from branches smacking them in the face (many seemed to have crooked noses or torn lips), or that they just got swept off their feet and thrown against the wall (there was a neat pile of bloody bodies stacked against the wall to my right).

I was surprised at how.. calmly.. I was dealing with the sight until I saw Terku's body sprawled on the floor, a water-pipe from the ceiling standing vertically, kinda like a flagpole, through his chest. Now, yes this was.. uh, traumatic and disgusting, but what made me vomit all over the floor and drawing Ashi's attention was when Terku's legs twitched.

I tried to stop Ashi from seeing, but I was too late. Those bright blue eyes peered right over my shoulder, seeming to be two little sapphires hovering in the air, and widened vastly with the shock of seeing his friend. His tears flowed more thickly now, and I could visibly see him shaking. To make matters worse, the thunder began to sound more frequently, and looking out the window, I could see we only had a few minutes left.

Trying to comfort him, I pulled Ashi into a tight hug and gently rubbed his back, but I knew he didn't take his eyes of Terku, as he once again began to stir.

“P-Panah, we need to h-help him,” Ashi stuttered, seeming to grow weaker by the second.

“I know Ashi, I know. We will, okay? I promise,” I said as I hug him tighter while tears began to drip off my own face and onto his back. I couldn't let him see me be weak, I had to be strong for him.. for us. We had to get through this, and I was going to do everything I could to keep him safe and.. well happy.. that is if that emotion survived the storm.

So, sitting there under that desk, covered in dust with blood sluggishly oozing down my cheek, while hugging the love of my life, I quickly made a plan: First I needed to stop crying and quickly so Ashi couldn't see that my courage wavered. Then I needed to find a way to save Terku, and then the three of us could leave before this damned storm could get here. I mean, it wouldn't be that hard, right? But then I remembered one little random fact: the only door in the room was blocked by several feet debris from the collapsed ceiling. That meant the only way out was through the window. So basically I'll have to find a way to save an impaled boy and find a way to get him and my weakened love safely to the ground, through a second story window, before the storm came, leaving me approximately... 15 minutes. Fuck.