short story, story promptVera was knocked unconscious by a vicious explosion, but did her sister suffer a worse fate?


 

Vera groaned as she regained consciousness. The pounding that started in her head as she tried to lift it made her wish for oblivion once again, but something told her she had to get out of there as soon as possible.

She pushed herself onto her hands and knees and paused, taking in shallow breaths. Fire burned along her ribcage. The warm dampness of the shirt clinging to her skin seemed to indicate the worst. She ducked her head to look at the left side of her ribs, where the pain was most intense. A ragged wound oozed blood, soaking the torn shirt.

Carefully sitting back on her knees, she bunched up her shirt and pressed it against the wound, trying not to cry out in pain. She was really going to need some medical aid for this one.

Pushing herself to her feet, she steadied herself against a concrete wall with her free hand. The ground seemed to sway and she closed her eyes briefly, before forcing them open again. She didn’t have time to waste. She had to get to … to the …

Frowning, she tried to remember what she’d been doing before the explosion. She had been on her way somewhere, but where exactly? She glanced around at the devastation. What had caused the explosion anyway? Had the enemy managed to infiltrate them? Were they all at risk?

If only she could remember where she’d been going! She glanced at a massive hole in the wall. Maybe knowing where she was now would help her figure out where she was supposed to be going. She stepped over the broken pieces of concrete and leaned against the edge of the hole.

Dust and smoke clouded the air. People scurried around debris, coughing and shouting for friends and family. Had she come with family? She didn’t think so. No one was calling her name at least.

Wait… family… A thought tugged at her mind, pulling out a memory from before the explosion. The Academy! She’d been on her way to collect her little sister, she was positive.

She wasn’t far from the Academy. Heading in the right direction, concern and panic began to rise in her chest. Sirens were wailing, growing louder the closer to the Academy she got. Surely the Academy hadn’t been hit?

She hurried forwards as fast as she could, her side aching with the effort. A few minutes later, she stood in front of the Academy. What was left of it.

Ice settled over her heart. This had been the centre of the attack? They had targeted a school full of innocent children? Why would anyone do something so monstrous? It couldn’t be real. This had to be a nightmare, brought on by the stress of the battles raging everyday outside the city walls.

She clutched the blue police tape that surrounded the school. Yanking it up, she dashed under it, heading for the school gates. They hung off their hinges, metal bent out of shape.

“Miss! You can’t be in here!”

“I have to find my sister!” she shouted. “I have to find Tami!”

Strong arms circled her waist. “I’m sorry, but you can’t go over there. We don’t know if the danger is past.”

“But Tami…” she whispered brokenly.

“It’s okay, it wasn’t a school day. She probably wasn’t in there.”

Vera turned to look at whoever was holding her tightly. A young man who looked to be a few years older than herself was gazing at her with his concerned green eyes.

“You don’t understand. She came in today to prepare for a school festival. Can you promise me she wasn’t inside?”

The man’s eyes clouded. “I’m afraid I can’t.”

“Vera? Is that you?”

Tami’s voice was high and thin. Vera’s head whipped towards the sound. “Tami!”


Is this one of your favourite 500-word-story-starters? Click the heart to like it and it may become a fully-fledged story! –>  1

<– Day 88     #    Day 90 –>