Have you ever noticed that when people die, it’s not on their list of things to do that day? However, now I can relate to them. My name is Benjamin, I’m 16 years old, and this is my story.

 

“Hey Tyler, wait up!” I shouted on a cool autumn day, running to catch up with my best friend. I live in Kindred, the capital city of Heron, in the year 2032. It’s usually peaceful and uneventful, though sometimes we do hear bad news, such as what we were about to find out today.

As I took my seat in Social Studies, my teacher, Ms. Raleigh, called for the class' attention.

“Okay everyone, settle down,” she chided, “I have some news.” At this, the class fell silent, fearing it would be related to our current war with Parrish, a powerful country that often clashed with Heron. Sadly, we were correct.

Ms. Raleigh continued, “This morning, Heron bombed Parrish, taking 176 lives. The president of Parrish has sworn revenge on our country, threatening to destroy our homes with a NAT bomb, similar to the A-BOMB.” She sighed, a grim look on her face, before going on. “The state will sound alarms if there is any threat of an attack. If you hear air raid sirens, take cover immediately.”

I shared a look with my girlfriend Lauren, her face crinkled with worry lines. What would happen to us? Would we be ripped apart as so many had been before us?

At this, we ended the discussion, and turned our attention to our lesson. Even so, not one person in the class smiled for the rest of the day.

 

As I trudged home, I couldn’t seem to get the war out of my mind, until I saw my little sister Abigail running up to me.

“Benny!” she exclaimed, jumping into my arms. “The most amazing thing happened on my TV show today!”

“Really? Tell me about it.” I said as we walked inside. My mom was standing by the counter, washing the dishes, when we walked in. As she heard us coming, she turned around, smiling but with worry in her eyes.

“Hey Ben, how was your day?” she asked. She said it casually, but with a clear message in her eyes: Don’t talk about it here, not now. Abigail didn’t need to know about the latest development in our war, she was too young.

“Great.” I answered meeting her eyes. “Though I do have a bunch a homework.” This comment resulted in her ordering me to my room, and I gladly obliged, as I needed time to think.

 

Once I reached my bedroom, I settled onto my bed, pondering the day's events. Why does the world have to go to war? Did God create it? Does He approve? But perhaps most important of all, what will happen to me and my family? We could try to flee, but where would we go? All of our family lives in Kindred, and…

No, I thought, shaking my head. If I was destined to die, I could accept it. But I could not accept that fate for my family. Would life be as merciless as to give little Abigail over to the grip of death? And the same for the rest of my family? And what about Lauren and Tyler? With these dark thoughts still churning in my mind, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

 

I awoke to the sound of a car horn honking. Dad’s home, I thought blearily before dragging myself out of bed. I quickly checked myself in the mirror. My hair was a mess, so I quickly smoothed it down before walking downstairs. The kitchen door opened as I crossed the landing, and I saw my father hug Abby, laughing, though it sounded forced, before giving my mom a kiss on the cheek.

“Hi Benjamin!” he said. “Guess what I did today?” he paused for barely a second before continuing. As he launched into his story, I started to zone out and drift away. Once again I found my thoughts drifting back to the war, until a loud noise wrenched me from my dream land.

Eeeoooeeeooo eeeoooeeeooo a loud sound from outside startled me, leaving my ears ringing.The air raid sirens were ringing. God help us I prayed as I jumped up. My parents froze, then flew into action.

“What’s that, Mommy?” Abigail asked. “Is there a tornado coming?”

“No, sweetie.” she replied with evident strain in her voice. “Everyone go to the basement. Now.” We all scrambled to the basement door, tripping over one another in our haste. “Come on Benja-”

BOOM! The loud noise shook the earth. The house began to collapse on us, trapping my family inside the basement.

“Ben!” I heard my mom scream. I tried to answer her, but sawdust choked me, filling my lungs and throat.  My heart breaking, I stumbled backward, tripping and feeling dizzy. I wondered if this is how the people of Pompeii felt, trapped and helpless, not knowing what was happening. I rushed out into the street, just as the house caved in.

Mom, Dad, Abigail… I thought, my mind searching for an explanation. Is this how it would end? Surely this could not be happening, it must be a figment of my imagination. The boom would be explainable, as would the sirens. At least these were my hopes, before I saw the debris and fire. This was no normal bomb. A ring of fire seemed to spread from the center of Kindred, starting on the brink of the horizon and traveling faster and faster. The fire rose higher than the eye could see, swallowing everything in its path. I heard broken screaming all around me, making my eardrums throb. I shoved my fingers in my ears to try to muffle it but it didn’t make a difference. Only later would I notice it was coming from me.

The fire was coming closer, the heat singeing the hair on my arms. Chunks of debris from houses, cars, and more flew around me as the winds picked up. Yet I held my ground, bracing myself against the gusts.

As I watched the roaring flames coming towards me, I found the perplexing idea of one’s life flashing before their eyes. My mind drifted away, and the world faded into nothingness.

 

Suddenly, it was my fifth birthday. My buck teeth protruded from my face, and I had a mischievous smile that unnerved the substitute teachers. My class had just finished singing happy birthday to me, and I was about to take a bite out of a cookie, when the kid next to me started crying. His name was Tyler, and he was allergic to the cookies.

“Stop crying.” I said crossly. “It’s annoying.” But my heart gradually softened, and I began to pity him, and asked him if he wanted to come to my house after school. He dried his tears and weakly smiled, saying he would have to check with his mom…

 

“We’re home!” my mother called as my father opened up the door to the house, holding a baby carrier in his arms.

“Yay!” I shouted. “Look Grandma, the baby came!”

“Yes, I see that.” she replied, chuckling. “What name did you give her Jessica?” she asked mom.

“We named her Abigail. It means, father’s joy.” Grandma liked it, but I personally thought that the meaning didn’t matter.

After Mom got settled back in (Grandma had said Mom was tired), I walked over to the baby and peeked in the carrier. She’s ugly, was my first thought. But then she smiled and made baby sounds, causing me to laugh. I asked Dad if I could hold her…

 

I watched her from across the classroom. I was in 7th grade, and my true love, or so I thought then, was in my class. Her name was Lauren, and she wasn’t exactly popular, but not unpopular either. She loved to make people laugh, through making jokes about herself or certain topics, but never about other people. She didn’t gossip, and was gentle and kind, making her beautiful in her own spectacular way. I didn’t date her until the 10th grade, as middle school relationships never last longer than a few months, but all through the years I dreamed about it.

“Hey Ben,” she called running to catch up with me after class.

“Yeah?” I responded, my heart thumping inside my chest.

“Sorry to bother you,” she said. Was it my imagination or was she blushing? “I wanted to know whether or not you were going to try out for the school musical or not.” She paused, before continuing, “I’ve heard you sing before and you sound amazing.” She likes my voice? Really? “I’m part of the musical committee, and we were wondering whether or not you would try out.”

“Um, sure, okay.” I responded sheepishly.

“Great, auditions are on Friday.” she said, shoving a flyer in my hand. “See you around!”

She dashed away and was soon lost in the crowd…

 

My mind came to as if it were surfacing from a pool. The fire was almost upon me now, but I determinedly stood tall, feeling the heat stripping my mind away like layers on an onion. Hope gave me strength as the fire got closer, threatening to take my life, and then it swallowed me whole.

 

A bright light almost blinding, surrounded me,  I was floating, weightless, in a sea of emptiness. My loved ones surrounded me. Mom, Dad, Abigail, Lauren, Tyler, all whispering encouraging words, giving me strength. The bright light came closer and closer. I could no longer see. A safe feeling filled my body, tingling and warm. Angels were singing a heavenly chorus, and then everything around me shattered.