When it all went wrong

The Day Before

Just me and my friends again. After school. Just seemed like a normal day for us walking down the halls of High school. Me and my friends were freshmen I was 15 and my two best friends were 14. Even though Anne was turning 15 in a week from today. Zack always was the youngest and I was always the oldest. I'm luca and I guess you could call me a 'bad boy' although I like to think about it as living on the edge. I will jump off of a tall place or out of a moving car anytime. But Anne and Zack like to stay on the ground and in the car. Anne can be a badass don't get me wrong. She likes hunting and shooting random things when we're out in the woods but she's afraid of heights. I tried to get her to come on top of my one floor  house but she refused. Zack on the other hand is the scardy cat he never comes to shoot stuff with us he always wants to stay home. Sometimes we have to literally drag him with us. People always look at us like we are kidnapping him. Gosh such a hassle sometimes Zack. But this past week he has been excited to go to the woods with us and he jumps on top of things I don't know what made him loosen up but I'm glad he's living a little. On our walk out to the forest cars zoomed past like any other day on the sidewalk. Dogs barked as we walked past there yards. But a different sound today as we walked past my house. Usually you wouldn't hear anything but today yelling screaming and glass breaking. Did I really want to go inside. I decided not to especially if my dad was drunk and in one of his episodes. So I acted like I didn't hear it.and I kept walking. The further we walked the more their yelling faded and the more I heard birds chirping and the fall leaves crunching under our feet.

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About 20 minutes into the woods I felt my phone buzz I check to see that my mother texted me. 'Where are you?' I type her back answering her question as to where I was and then I thought for a moment why she would ask such a silly question. I mean me Anne and Zack go there everyday after school since we were in 4th grade why would it be different now? As I was in thought my mother texted me back. 'You need to come home NOW' I was worried she never told me to come back. Not even if it was someone's birthday. Not even if there an 'emergency' I told Anne that I had to go. I didn't bother telling Zack because that new ball of energy was way to far ahead. After I started walking the moment Anne was out of my sight I ran and I ran as fast as I could to my house. Not knowing what was bound to happen to my mother if I took to long. With my father in the house anything could happen. After only about 5 minutes I see my house and I speed up bursting through the door to see my shocked mother on the floor with her knees to her chest held by her arms. I didn't see me father or hear him. But I could smell the mistake of man. But our house always smelt like alcohol no matter how much smelling wax we put in or how ever many candles we would light. It always smelt like whiskey. I wondered the house looking for anything but stopped when my mother spoke up to me. "Turn the television on. News station 6." What could be so important on that damn news station. I turned it on and switched the channel to channel 6. ' News reporter James will now announce breaking news onto you James.' The first reporter said after finishing the weather. 'Thank you and now breaking news. An outbreak in Florida brings down population by 5 percent. Almost as if people are attacking one another. Onto live broadcast in Florida filmed my drones.' The reporter named James said which left me in shock. My father hadn't shown up in the living room yet. He must have left us behind. No wonder mother was afraid because I would be too. I looked over to me mother seeing that she had layed her head into her arms. I shifted my eyes back to the television to see what had become of Florida. I slowly got my phone out of my back pocket. I looked down at the screen only to make sure I was calling the right person and then set it up next to my ear. It rang once twice and then Anne picked up. "Hey luca why did you have to leave so soon?" I paused for a second knowing I have to tell her but I didn't know how. "I have to tell you something. Hide out in 10" I told her. I hung up the phone and rushed to pack some things only a few just to get a bag started for when I would have to leave later. I rushed out the door and straight to our fort that we had made in the woods years ago when we were seven. The hide out only getting better the years after. I see the little house ahead also seeing Zack and Anne walking to it. They saw me as well and waved. I didn't wave back and just rushed to them. They just kept walking and gave me a confused look. As soon as I got to them Zack opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off before he could start. " Pack up" we had always had a plan for if this happened and now it was. All we knew was that it was time to start. Even if we were a little early.

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