The Escape

The water was my only lifeline as we walked along the ragged shore. I couldn't remember how long we had been here. Time seemed to move so differently since we escaped the city. I clung to the hand of the person in front of me, terrified we would be separated.

I didn't know him. None of us knew each other, not really. We had all just met when we reached what we thought was a safe place outside the city. There was one couple in our group. But, everything had been so chaotic, it had turned into an 'everyone for themselves' kind of situation. Most of us had ended up separated from our loved ones, hoping they had also made it out. Clinging to the idea that we would be reunited one day.

Everything had happened so fast. It was an ordinary day, until it wasn't. They had entered the city, weapons drawn. It had only taken minutes for panic to take over and chaos to break out. Those of us who got out still had no idea why they were there. We would never forget what it was like to see people shot in the streets for not complying with their orders though. The images haunted each of us every night as we tried to sleep.

We didn't know where we were heading, only that we couldn't stay where we had been. The spot we had found, the one we thought was safe, was no longer safe. We had all just barely escaped with our lives and what little we had with us. We'd lost one though. We were one less now. But, we couldn't look back. We couldn't turn around.

We had to continue on. We would follow the shoreline until we couldn't anymore. After that we would reassess and find a new path. But, we couldn't stop. We had to keep moving. We had to live on. We had to survive. The world may be depending on our survival.