x
The sky was dark
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It was Monday, what Steven thought would be a typical day where Steven would come into his usual meeting stop and hear ‘PRESS START’ booming from Elijah’s phone and Noah and E-man talk about space and then he and his friends had math. The first period turned out to be a complete disaster.
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Who would’ve thought that zombies could swim?
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The sky was unusually dark in the morning as if it was nighttime when it was 9. Steven already sensed this danger, but the thought of it got the hold of him, so he just kept quiet.
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A zombie got on top of him and chewed him bit by bit. He just stared at the once human being feeding happily but depressedly on him.
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He wanted to scream, but nothing came out. His self-confidence and beliefs in the world that he built up since 3 have all fallen into nothing.
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The reliever was screaming as loud as a firetruck about 100 meters beside him. And the rest of his friends too, were half-dead, and sure enough, would turn into those green beasts as well.
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Steven feels intense stress until he can finally shout in a last leap of helplessness.
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“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”.
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“Steven! Steven! Don’t die on me!”
The image slowly disappeared, leaving nothing but pure darkness.Jimmy?
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Hope resignated as the darkness faded out, leaving a smoky background with his best friend Jimmy shaking him. Steven tried to get up, but what seemed like a long yet skinny metal stick that was part of the aircraft sliced through his thighs. He looked down at it and tumbled back to his usual spot. It isn’t meant to be like this. But thank the lord, he was alive.
“Thank god you’re alive,” Jimmy spoke in relief and hovered over Steven to follow him. Steven pointed at his injured leg while trying to grasp oxygen. Blood was pouring out of it non-stop, as much as the tomatoes in a tomato farm. Jimmy noticed the blood, and his eyes dropped out in fear and shock.
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“Move away,” Norman told Jimmy, but Jimmy just stood there, half-shocked by the whole situation. Norman looked at Jimmy for one more second, in the hope of a response. But Jimmy was just frozen, like a person in a vegetative state. ‘Norman pushed him away and pulled his hand towards the exit, before flinging Jimmy off the plane like angry birds on a slingshot.
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Jimmy fell towards the grass and turned back to face the burning jet. He was sitting there, just sitting there, until Bob helped him up and the two ran towards the high ground, far away from the disastrous fire. Bob looked at the fire and thought, “I can’t fix it…”
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“Hold it!” Norman shouted, before pulling out the metal stick. Steven screamed hard in his lungs, but it was quiet to the others, he was just too scared and his energy was completely drained out to do so. Norman ripped a small piece of cloth out of his white shirt and tied it around Steven’s wound. The white cloth slowly turned red, but no blood was dripping out now. Steven manages to stand with the help of Norman and sees the whole situation inside the plane.
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To the left of the exit, were Jules and the commander, trying to get the last remaining supplies out of the plane with the help of Liam and Noah. And to the right, Steven just stared at what couldn’t be true; Ethan was just lying there, unconscious with what looked like glass pierced through his chest. It couldn’t be true right? Luxury was crying in distress while shaking Ethan. Charlotte tried to calm her down as she patted her shoulder while trying to hold in her tears. Her eyes were red as hell, mirroring the bloody fire that was rapidly growing.
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“You kids get out of here as soon as possible! It's going to explode soon!” Norman makes one final call, and Steven can no longer see his dead and sad friends. Norman placed Steven next to Bob and Jimmy, who helped Steven settle. Bob looked desperate, he wanted to go back and help. But Norman told him to stay put and help wave and settle the rest of the people in this safe zone.
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Chloe finished the last supply and hovered the kids inside and spoke the exact same things as Norman did; the plane has gotta explode soon so get out soon. Charlotte tried to convince and help Luxury to quickly settle the regret and bring her out, but Luxury was insistent and dominant. Xander stood by the door, looking directly at them, Elijah told Xander that he would get out first before Elijah hurried away. Xander can’t leave them. Enough people have sacrificed. He ran into the spot and pushed Charlotte aside.
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“Hey!” Charlotte shouted not loudly while blinking rapidly to stop her tears from flowing out.
“We gotta move! What are you gonna do about him, huh? Just survive! That’s what he wanted anyways! Are you gonna bring Charlotte down with you? Just because of your stupid thinking!” Charlotte stopped complaining, and the small Luxury turned to look at the massive Xander, his shadow covering her up. He changed. Ethan was not breathing. At least not anymore, Luxury slowly got up, and the sound of the fuel burn roared louder than ever.
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Boom! A small explosion beside them triggered their minds. Charlotte ran out towards where everyone was. Another small explosion was heard, and Norman started to run toward the jet again.
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What the hell are these kids doing? Xander pulled Luxury and they ran out of the plane, greeted by Norman, who turned back and ran back the moment he noticed them. Xander pants in sweat, with Luxury slowly falling behind. Xander slowed down for a few seconds for Luxury to catch up.
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“Come on! Run faste…” Another explosion, slightly larger, occurred behind them interrupting what Xander was about to say. And they fell to the ground. Norman, who was in front of them, turned and pulled them up to their stand. But it was no use, as the large explosion, probably the largest there’s gonna be, sploded the plane. Xander and Luxury got flung to the sky by the impact, while Norman slowly drifted back while holding his stance with his hands over his face.
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“I got you Ahh AHH!” Elijah hovered over Xander, hoping to catch him, but changed his mind at the last second after seeing Xander’s black shadow covering his whole body. “Oh dear lord may you save me from the pain I'm about to suffer” he prayed. The two clashed with the grassy lands beside them, as the sky was covered in the orange and grey sky.
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“Where is your other friend?” Jules questioned.
“Yeah, where is E-man?” Liam questioned. Hearing his name, Luxury started to cry again, and the group looked at Liam and Jules in disappointment.
“He passed away,” Xander confirms and turns to look at the burning sky. Liam said nothing and turned back to the awful scenery. Steven couldn’t believe what he had feared worse would become a reality.
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He’s gone. Once again, someone sacrificed. Will there be someone else?
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“Wait, where’s Elijah?” Liam suddenly realized.
“Oh no, TWO sacrifices?!?!, how could this get any wors-”
“Xander, move your butt off me please?”
To everyone’s surprise, Xander’s butt was talking, or was it? As Xander lifted up his butt, it revealed Elijah being as flat as a pancake. “I don’t think I’ll recover from this…”
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Flum! The flame roared again, this time louder. Norman hovered over the group to follow as he walked towards the other side, away from the burning jet.
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“Let’s go before the American government finds us.” Jules follows up with Norman’s gesture and walks. The kids followed, or what else they can do? Luxury looked back, and Charlotte convinced her again.
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“He thrived, more than any of us possibly,” Charlotte says, and slowly and lightly pulled Luxury back towards the rest.
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Suddenly, the sky brightened up. And waves of light and sounds of void and neon shone behind them. They turned back. Jules pulled out her glasses from her pockets and put them on in disbelief. The group was shocked. Norman looks at the extraordinary rays of light shining through a figure slowly rising through the burning red flame.
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Woosh! A ray of wind brushed through everything, and the fire turned to a blue, cool flame. Steven nearly trips by the powerful wind, but Jimmy pulls him as he is about to fall. Luxury’s eyes shined bluely as the blueness reflected on her. On everyone in fact.
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“My cap!” Noah shouted as he ran to chase his cap that was blown by the wind.
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The figure rose high, and everything went blue with the insane wind pushing them. They tried to hold their stance against it, Steven was now seated after being pushed to the ground by the wind.
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It was after seconds before the wind stopped. The figure was now standing in front of them, directly in front of Steven. Luxury cried in tears of happiness, slowly hazing up her glasses, while Bob smiled while trying to understand the logic behind this. The figure looks at Steven, standing tall and firm in front of him. Their eyes met, and Steven’s mind was blown away while Elijah was still a pancake. No way, … it couldn’t be, the entire group thought all at once.
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“Did you guys miss me?” Ethan spoke with a smile, then looked at the flat Elijah. Wow, what happened to you?
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