CHAPTER 3: TORNADO WALKING

The tiredness of my body was beginning to take over but I had to be strong for my mother and sisters, who was the only thing that still remained of my life, already destroyed, we have already walked for three hours without direction or destination guided simply by the instinct to continue Even alive, it was already dawn so we decided to rest a little to have the strength to continue when the dawn of a new day comes out that day I could not sleep between the crying of some children scared by what happened and my memories of this day that tormented me They did not allow me to reconcile my sleep, dawn fell and we continued our journey to be able to stay alive Esmeralda was already walking but at a slow pace, what was already progress in her recovery, was how a group of 360 people continued on foot, led by the officer that he would help me with my sisters if it weren't for him, maybe Amelia would no longer be with us they spent a few hours walking in the desert and the heat was a fatigue to continue in it or we managed to see that other groups were approaching us from the north a group of Mexicans came, from the south another group of Americans from different states and from the west, Californians joined our small group and that is how we grew from 360 to 1000. news that the state has already created camps for the survivors and it was about 15 kilometers from us that news made everyone very happy and reason to continue to arrive as soon as possible to that place after almost 3 more hours of walking we managed to reach the destination but while We were queuing to register and being able to enter, we lost sight of Amelia and among the crowd it was going to be very difficult to find her quickly so I went in search of her, leaving my mother and Esmeralda in the queue, I began to shout Amelia's name but I couldn't find her and that makes me desperate. I wouldn't forgive myself for losing my little girl sister in it a boy of medium height, black hair and mixed skin color comes to see my concern wondering if everything was okay. I replied that I had not since I had lost my little sister. He asked me what his name was. And after describing her how she was physically and the clothes she was wearing, we started looking for her together

We separated staying to meet in this place after the search I searched and searched but Amelia did not find with a certain sadness on my face she went to the agreed place to meet the boy with the hope that he would have found her when I got there it was great my joy to see my little sister Amelia who ran into my arms after the emotional moment I saw that the boy was leaving I stopped him and thanked him and then asked his name he with a smile answered me I am Hugo with a smile on our faces and narrowing the hands we started a beautiful friendship it was in that way that I met Hugo

Already registered, we had lunch, I was not so much a fan of canned food but my hunger was so great that I thought it was delicious Hugo ate with us he was alone in the camp and since I liked him, I invited him after lunch I went with Hugo to walk around the place Leaving my sisters and my mother in the tent, we were calmer and the worst had happened or well that's what I thought. I started collecting wood with Hugo for the campfire when night falls we started talking about our tastes and things like that and we realized that we had a lot in common until it occurred to me to ask how I got here.

He was silent for a moment and then answered:

_ I lived in Monterrey with my grandparents since my parents died when I was very little in an accident and because I was the only family that remained until all this happened and because I could not save them now I am alone in the world but willing to fulfill the promise that I made to them in their last moments of life which is that I always smile in the face of adversity and go in search of my dreams.

I was surprised by his great maturity and positive way of always seeing life in complicated moments like the one we were seeing. I would like to have a little of his positivism for these moments, gift of my morale and joy were still lost. After saying this, Hugo comes up to me and says to hate I think you have a shadow. I did not understand what he said but then I looked up and up in the top of a tree there was a girl who saw us the branches hid her face but her red hair was very familiar to me it was as if long before I had seen her some times and when I went to tell the girl to come down I hear my sister Amelia screaming my name and run towards us. She tells us that something bad was happening we ran after her worried. While that was happening the mysterious girl breathed a sigh of relief as she realized that she had seen her and if it had not been for Amelia she would be discovered then she got off the tree and went back to the camp with a notebook in her hand. Already in the camp we heard the news of the strong winds that we talked about in the morning came directly towards us, it greatly altered those of us in the camp while the officer who helped us and was in charge of our group asked us to calm down. And that to be safer we would evacuate

the camp we were in at that time a heavy rain fell on us and the screams of despair from the people did not allow control to be maintained for the moment we were watching. I took Amelia by the hand and we went to the place where my mother and Esmeralda were to leave the camp, we entered the tent where they were and we took some provisions for now if we left in one of the buses that were on the way, however I hear from Hugo say:

_It's here Jak.

I turn around and indeed I am not mistaken, strong tornadoes were forming in the direction of the camp where we were still.

I froze at that precise moment, I did not know how to react to what my eyes were presenting. Hugo, when he saw it, tried to get back from my chok while I told my sisters and mother that I had to leave here as soon as possible.

I reacted from my state of shock and took my sister Esmeralda in arms since she still could not walk much product of the leg we ran along with the desperate crowd to overcome what we were coming they began to embroider the buses to be able to go to another place Where the tornado that was forming would put us on but it was in vain I will never forget that afternoon what survives we call it the last attack. Because I ended up ending the little life that was left on earth and I left a mark that I can never forget, even my mind keeps alive that scene in which I lost the only thing that gave me what I loved so much, we were on our way to the bus it seemed that we would get out alive from this other storm but I was wrong the tone had taken on stronger and arrived at the camp where we had taken refuge I managed to get my mother and Amelia to get on the bus that would take them to a safer place and when I was about to get on Esmeralda begins to be carried away by the force of the tornado I hold her with all my strength by her hand so as not to lose her.

Hugo, seeing that he was also taking me, ran to help me, we both tried to get Esmeralda to touch the ground again since she was rubbing in the air with tears on her face, we were a while ago but she knew that no matter how hard we tried to save her It was in vain. He simply looked at me with great tenderness and then said:

_Jak let me leave I took care of my mother and Esmeralda for me.

I couldn't believe what Amelia was asking me and she answered it was a roturn without thinking twice.

Esmeralda only looked at me tenderly again and then told me:

_ Forgive me Jak and she let go of my hand which prevents her from being carried away by the tornado, however I could do nothing and I only saw her I left in that tornado taking with her a part of my heart my sadness did not allow me to think about what I was passing by forgetting the complete fact that the tornado was coming towards me. Hugo when he saw it he helped me to get up while he encouraged me to continue but a part of me wanted to be carried away by the tornado. But when I saw the worried face of my little sister Amelia as she called out my name, I recovered again and to get out of that shock, I lost Esmeralda recently and I started running along with Hugo to meet her and my mother, but we didn't have the fall of a large tree that would prevent us from going to meet them and the tornado towards us came the last thing I remember was the cry of my mother and sister who simply saw how I disappeared I do not know what happened in those moments of which I do not even have the minimal idea of ​​what happened everything was dark but suddenly I managed to see a light and I assumed that I was already in the sky but in this it seems to me again the image of that blonde hair that was very familiar to me and then my mind returned to being in white I don't know how long I had unconscious but when I woke up again nothing was the same to begin with I was in a room with serum in my vein I felt very confused but the first thing I thought about was my mother and Esmeralda and I began to shout their names. Hugo entered the room and it calmed me down a bit. I asked him about my mother and sister, he simply remained silent.

despair until he was filled with courage and managed to say Jak they died in the end the tornado ended up reaching them. Tears began to flow from my face I had lost everything I loved the most in just two days without any logical explanation.

Hugo simply approached me and hugged me calmer, I asked the question that passed through my mind as soon as I opened my eyes:

_ Where am I .

Hugo just looked at me and then answered:

_ We are on a ship heading to Mars the new place where

It will seek to resurface as a species with the few survivors left of the land of which today there is nothing left.

I was silent I couldn't believe what Hugo had told me.

The planet that he loved so much from just overnight to tomorrow no longer existed.