Oh no. It happened again. I felt my chest tighten. I have felt this way before. Memories of that day poured out onto the evening sky. This one seems so much more destructive; the explosion, I meant. It was huge. I looked back down at my hands. They still felt so small.

I could not go through something like that again.

Never again.

It was a bubbly, rippling cloud of light hung above the bay. It was hundreds of miles above, overlooking the city like a melting nightlight. The storm clouds above blocked out the sun, so it was backdropped against a dark canvas. The light of it reflected off the clouds. In a way, it almost looked like a blob of congealed paint, bubbling as if it were being heated, which it technically was, or a glassblower making a beautiful artisanal piece. Bits and pieces of the explosion appeared to drip down into the water.

I stepped back, overcome with worry, I went to the couch and grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder. I raced out the door towards the apartment elevator. I slammed into it, my hand reaching for the buttons and smacking them. It would not budge. I ran back across the hall to the stairwell, threw open the door, and descended rapidly through the several floors of apartments. Some people were leaving their apartments. They had the same idea.

One man barreled out of the stairway door, knocking me down. He was big too, a tall dude. He didn't even look back to check in on me.

“Jerk,” I said to myself. I got back up, patted myself off, and followed him down, passing by others who were descending, not so much in a hurry. I passed a mother carrying her baby, a senior with a cane, and a few kids my age who I have seen around before. One of them, a girl with platinum blonde hair and surfer spray tan, was helping the senior down the steps. I didn’t know her name, but I’ve seen her around here before.

I run by them. The girl didn’t look up or notice me. I raced down the stairs, almost knocking over two other people walking side by side. Eventually, I reached the bottom. I burst through the stairwell door to the lobby of the complex, where people were gathered to watch the explosion overhead. For as far as we were inland, the explosion could still be seen above the bay. It looked even larger from here.

Down the street, more people gathered to look. The sun was starting to set, and the light still remained. Was it even an explosion? I did not know what I was looking at. I only knew it was not good.

I listened around. People were murmuring. Did they not want to disturb the lightshow? What good was that? I heard a few people say they thought it was fireworks, like a late solstice celebration. They were definitely not fireworks. An older woman thought it was a hot-air balloon. Two young boys thought it was a bomb, or a nuke. I did not have an explanation for it.

I tried to call David again. My phone was still not connected to any signal and the call went nowhere.

The tall dude from the stairwell was outside. He was watching the explosion. I left the apartment complex and rushed past him. He stood in place, completely in awe of the anomaly.

I ran down the street. If it was anything, it was a sign to act.

I thought back to that day, all those years ago in our little apartment in the city. I remember my parent’s faces at the moment of disaster, how they stood up to the stranger. Determination kicked my legs into gear, and I started for the bay. I ran outside, past the tall guy and a group of stragglers and made my way down the road towards the tracks. It was almost night, so I had to get there before it got too dark.

I sprinted down the street. My feet had a mind of their own. They raced along and through the familiar street I have had the chance to know for these past few years. I passed a small mom and pop store, a comic book shop, and an abandoned strip mall. My backpack slapped against me. Its contents jingled. Why did I bring it?

The wind picked up. The clouds overhead congealed, forming a great gray blanket covering everything from the ocean horizon to the city skyline. I passed a bus stop where people gathered to gawk. Their expressions were that of awe, like they were witnessing a miracle.

Traffic piled up. Rubberneckers stuck their heads out of driver-side windows to catch a glimpse of what their radio talk shows were running stories on. The air grew heavy, and I think it got a little hotter. It reminded me of a forest fire growing in a valley, just out of sight of the highway, pillars of smoke rising just beyond the peak of a mountain. I treaded lightly.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

I took a left onto a back alley overgrown with pockets of flora. It was a jungle, trees twisted into view and tufts of viral grass crawled out of the pavement cracks. The train tracks were nearby. I remember the street around my home, clean, well kept. I remembered the nice old woman who gave me a strawberry hard candy every time I walked past her. I remembered my dad’s barber, who lived just a block over. His door was always wide open. The buildings around here never left their doors open.

I knew this alleyway. I ran right through, hopping a fence as a chained-up dog came bursting out from its hiding spot. It narrowly bit my ass. I rounded another corner. I tried to keep an eye on my cell phone, checking if I had service; Nothing yet. I jumped over a knocked over trash can.

I wondered what David was doing. Did he leave work early? Was he on his way to the apartment? Did he even know what was going on? I did not stop to think if this was the right choice. I just had to stick to my guns, ride this out.

I needed to know if this was connected to my past.

I needed answers, and I was desperate for them.

A single bar blinked in the corner of my phone. I had a connection. I slowed to a walk, keeping the anomaly within sight. It had begun to grow dimmer. I was worried it would completely dim out before I could make it.

I flipped through the apps on my phone. The phone app appeared and I smashed my finger on it, nearly knocking my phone out of my hands. It rang.

Nothing.

He must not have a signal.

“Dammit,” I cursed. I tried it again.

Nothing, again. I think I yelled something stupid. It was probably another curse-word. I was not creative enough to do anything else.

Another thought came to mind.

I called Casey. The phone rang. She picked it up.

“Monty? Monty, are you there?”

“Casey! Did you see what was going on?”

A moment of hesitation crossed the call.

“Yes…Monty are you home? Are you safe?”

A tinge of guilt spiked through me.

“David isn’t back yet. I got worried.”

It was not the full truth, but it also was not a complete lie.

“Oh Monty. You need to stay safe. You should be at home.”

“Did you see it?”

“I did…”

“I need to see it in person.”

The other side went silent.

“I can be there in fifteen.”

“I’m already close to the South Shore.”

“Monty!” she said, accusatorily.

“I know. I know. Just get here as quickly as you can.”

“Little shi⏤” Her phone cut out. She was often a little colorful with language. As a caseworker, her mouth has put her in hot water with her superiors more times than I can count. I definitely did not get my vocabulary from David. That is for sure.

She always stuck by me, though. I can count on her to pull through.

I made my way down the street and just as I passed the train tracks, a flash of light appeared overhead. The anomaly released a ripple across the sky. Some halo of energy. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up straight. And, the anomaly dissipated. It flickered out of view. It flared out, pockets of air trailed out into the surface, and the anomaly denatured.

“No⏤”

It was no use. The light faded, and so too did the explosion.

I eventually made it to Octoberfaire’s wharf. A bustling attraction in the summer, it was emaciated. The autumn crispness was too much for tourists. Groups of spotters relegated themselves to watching the anomaly fizzle out. Their fingers outstretched, as if they were accusing God of making a fool of them, and their rational minds. I crossed the main street, almost getting hit by a van, and slammed my weight against a pier-side fence, smack dab in the middle of one particular group of watchers. They were too focused to even take notice.

Something was falling.

Someone?

Some sort of object, or figure, fell into the sea. Did anyone else notice it? I looked around at the other gawkers. Their eyes were dead set on looking for the anomaly in the sky. I could see their attention spans wane when nothing else emerged to fill the void of interest left by the phenomenon. I waited too.

But I did see something.

Behind me, I heard the beep of a car parking. I also heard a door slam shut.

“Monty!” shouted Casey.

She stood in front of her car, parked on the side of the road. She wore a long coat. She had her hair done up in a bun. A few strands of hair fell between her glasses. She looked too worried to care.

I looked back at her, my hand still on the fence. She ran over. Once she got a good look at me she looked back at where the anomaly had been sitting up in the middle of the storm.

“Monty, I was worried sick.” She rubbed her arms. “It’s f⏤freaking cold.”

Nice catch.

Snow was falling. A snowflake landed on the tip of my nose. The tiny frozen prick sent a shockwave through me, from head to toe. The first snow of winter. It occurred to me that I didn't even notice.

“Let's go. You must be freezing too.”

I looked back at the bay. The clouds seemed darker now. A bundle of worries condensed, interlocked, and spread out across the city. I have my lead now.