In the Afternoon

"Everyone, get up," I could hear Pa saying, were we already here? But when I looked out of the window, we were at a gas station car park, and a few shops were visible in the distance, such as McDonald's, KFC, Perry's and a Costa. I wasn't even surprised, every time Pa says we're not stopping unless Via needs the toilet, is saying we're stopping once and you better get what you need that once.

"Coming Pa," I shut my laptop slotting it in the compartment under my seat. I bent down on the floor to pick up the empty can and wrappers, laying on the floor and put them in the empty MaxiMarket shopping bag.

Pa shut the door tightly behind us and locked it as I chucked my rubbish sorting it into the three different types, recyclable, plastic waste and food waste. Now, days they fine you a ton of money if you, even so, drop a piece of litter on the floor. If you ask me I'm blaming it on the ancestors. They were warned constantly about global warming and only took action when the plant literally started to flood.

"Okay everyone what drinks, are we getting, I'll be heading to Costa, the rest of you can go to Perry's and get a few things, your ma will use her Air ID," Pa told us as we approached the entrance of the centre.

"A Salted Caramel Frappuccino, for me please dad with extra crème," I stated.

"Don't you ever get tired of that boring old drink," Yato rolled his eyes at me "and I'll take a Chai Late please Pa," Yato, flew his arm around my shoulders around me, ruffling my hair with his other unoccupied arm.

"Don't you ever get tired of that boring old Chai Late," I detached myself from him flinging his arm off my shoulder.

"Okay, I thought we already had this discussion, no arguments please, it's only just hit noon," Ma sighed with a sleepy Via in her arms.

"Sorry Ma," we chorused, walking into the centre with our heads down.

Ma, handed Via to Pa as he went his separate way to Costa, and instead, we headed into Perry's. "Okay you two, I'm setting your budgets to ¢100," Ma took out her Cryto- Pod and clicked the 100 option on her Cryto- Pod, "The both of you, tap," she held the pod in front of us before taking it back and scanning her finger on it, "okay we're good to go, I'll follow you guys in, in case they ask for an ARS for confirmation or something."

Upon the entrance of the store, I had already noticed the first item I wanted. On display written in bold, laying on the Cryto-Sack.

A Cryto-Sack was one of the most famous productions of our era. It was a high tech device. To some, it was just a well-decorated sack. But the sack was configured with all sorts of high tech advancements. The project on the Cryto-Sack was so big that it was even verified and funded by the government. The Cryto-Sack was like your own personal vault. It could carry up to 55 kilograms of weight yet at the same time you wouldn't even feel the strain of such weight. Scientists said it simply "defied the laws of physics." To this day many famous physicians spend all day trying to figure out how the bag was produced. Some called it an otherworldly product. That wasn't all that made the bag special. The security also made it special. It was controlled by fingerprints, it also had texture and heart rate scans. It prevented people from placing your fingerprints on for example pieces of tape and using it open your bag. The heart rate scans were added for not only medical purposes but also security purposes. If someone knocked you out and tried to use your finger to unlock the bag whilst you were unconscious it would alert the police or any local authorities. If someone was to suddenly have a heart attack, stroke or all sorts of health-related attacks an ambulance would also arrive at the scene. My favourite feature was the Mi-Pod and phone feature.

When the bag was first released it came with a deal of free Mi-Pods however I already had a pair so there was no convincing Ma or Pa to get the sack for me. I could pair my phone and Mi-Pods to it so I could listen to music or take calls on the go. I've seen many people take the bag our with them when they go on a run.

"Ma, Ma, Ma," I said excitedly pulling her towards the display rack, "Ma please can I get one, we looked for them everywhere but could never find them can I please get it," I pleaded.

"Sure Vanesa you can get it, but you know that's 55% of your budget gone," she responded.

"Yes Ma, I know, I know," I could barely standstill.

"Go ahead scan on the pay box," she smiled at me.

I quickly grabbed it off the rack, scanned it in the tag box, and placed my finger on the print scanner, and ran off with my bag.

"I'm going to go get what I want, I'll wait for you and Yat, at the exit," I ran off over-joyed to the snack aisle.

************15 Minutes Later************

I re-united with Ma and Yat at the exit and we passed through the body scanners together where we stopped by a security guard.

"Shared pay?" he asked. Ma nodded, "Please stand here for your ARS please then," the security personnel led her to a small transparent box fitted into the wall.

"Please look into the box for five seconds, and try not to move your eyes," the security personnel, pressed a few things on the pad in the side of the wall, and a red laser passed through the box.

"You may now step away from the box," the personnel signalled for Ma to step away from the box.

"Verified, Yoana Julia Ace, Age 34, SK Resident" the box repeated the words appearing on the screen.

"You may now leave," the man led us to the exit where we met Via and Pa.

"What took so long," Pa asked sipping on his iced coffee, holding Via in his other hand.

"They asked for an ARS," Ma sighed, she looked tired and frustrated.

"Mama," Via let go of Pa's hand and waddled towards Ma, "I need to go to the toilet again," Ma looked around, trying to find the toilet.

"Okay Via Ma will be waiting here for you, make sure to come straight out when you are finished and turn right to come back to us, we won't move from her okay Via," we could here Ma, tell Via as she took her to the toilet.

*************15 Minutes Later**********

I looked at my watch, it already had been ten minutes, yet Via still hadn't returned. Just at that moment a large herd of people started running for the exit, people kept yelling obscene words, and phrases, amongst the chaos I could barely hear someone say the words anyone would be dreading.

"Bomb"

"Ma! Did you hear that" I panicked, rushing about the place, there was a bomb in the area right now, and there was no sight of Via.

As if we shared one brain, we all ran in the opposite direction the people were looking and towards the toilet. Approaching the toilet, I ran in bursting through all of the stalls, violently flinging the doors open. But she wasn't in any of them.

"Mama!" I heard a young girl yell followed by a loud cry. It sounded like they were far, quiet yet loud. I could recognise the voice almost at once.

"Ma, I heard Via, it sounded like it was coming from outside of the toilet and in the direction of McDonald's," I rushed out of the bathroom stall my duffel bag still flung around my neck.

"Everyone follow the sound of Via's crying," Ma yelled over the chaos.

Without hesitation we ran deeper into the Centre, people were looking at us like we were mad, some even said that we don't fear death, some cussed and called us names, however so long as it is for Via, risking death is worth it, I can't let another family member die young.

I kept running until the cries became louder and clearer.

"Mama," her voice was clear and loud this time, but I couldn't help but come to an abrupt stop. There she was, standing, on a small ledge, between the bomb which had fallen into McDonald's, and us. The bomb had almost sort of detached it from the rest of the centre.

Shaped like a drone, it lied in there, beeping steadily, and loudly.

No one had time to think over the loud whirring and beeping noise coming from the bomb. I rushed over to the ledge first not putting much thought into my actions.

"Ma, out of all of us on this side I weigh the least, so I'll cross the ledge and chuck Via over, be ready to catch," I carefully crossed the small ledge, walking on my sides. And with all my will power I threw Via across the ledge, launching her right into my parent's arms.

"Okay I'm coming back now," I said readying myself to cross the ledge but the moment, I stepped onto it, the piece of concrete broke off, falling into the large abyss that lay below us. I froze.

The gap seemed much larger now. I stared deeply into the hole. I don't know why, but I felt slightly sober. I had no thoughts to disarrange in my head and the only thing I could think of death and saying goodbye. It'd be sad if I had to die but didn't even say goodbye.

"Ma, Pa, I love you," I paused. What else should I say, "go without me, there's no point," the words came out of my mouth a dead expression painted on my face.

"Don't tell me there's no point Vanesa. Jump, I'll catch you," my brother yelled, anxiety drawn all over his face.

"Just go!" I screamed I didn't want them to die, along with me, their lives were far more precious than mine. "I'm the reason why this family is incomplete it's time I pay back my deeds," I felt a tear stream silently down my face.

"Just jump Vanesa" Via yelled. She held tightly onto mothers tear-drenched shirt. I looked down at the pit of debris, and concrete, and them back at them.

I anticipated as the beeping noise and whirring sounds from the bomb increased in pace and sound.

It was now or never.

I moved back far enough to take runoff and counted to three.

1 . . .

2 . . .

3 . . .

Leaping off the ledge I gathered my momentum reaching for Yato's hands, however, the momentum I gathered just wasn't enough and I missed his arms and fell on to the ledge of the crumbling building holding on for dear life.

The whole family rushed over trying to pull me up, simultaneously the drone picked up a faster pace, the loud whirring sound becoming unbearable. My brother scooped me up, putting me on his back. The last time I was on his back was when I was eight and fell off the swing at the playground. All before that happened.

I watched as we ran desperately with other people trying to escape as well. The view of horror and desperation on people's face was quite clear from up here.

Making it out of the car park, we rushed for the car, where Ma, held Via, tightly in her arms, struggling to open the door.

"It's locked," she looked worriedly.

"Where's Pa?" I looked around but Pa was nowhere in sight.

"I'm here" he came running, unlocking the car from a distance.

Yato, put me down in his seat, before shutting the door tightly, and even locking it. Ma sat down in her seat at the front, Via still tightly in her arms, and also locked her door. Pa reached the car last but he was not slow to start the engine.

It appeared we were last to leave, the only other vehicle was a double-decker bus, which was filled to the brim with people who were trying to fit on.

Upon joining the high way, I watched as the centre, was obliterated by the bomb. You could hear the glass breaking and the sound of concrete cracking, and you could see the centre fall into the large abyss it was built over.

However, looking back I couldn't spot the bus. Just the huge mass of smoke slowly crawling after us.

The distance between our car and the smoke had was almost 20 meters and the smoke and explosion were almost completely out of view.

The bus I assumed had been engulfed by the smoke, seemed to emerge from the smoke. Two bright piercing lights cut through the smoke. The silhouette of the double-decker bus came to complete view and the bright lights came to view. The only thing I could remember was seeing the bus zoom past us. Considering how fast we were already going I didn't think it was legally possible to go that fast on a bus.

I turned back to face the front of the car; a wave of relief hit me knowing that the bus had escaped the vile flames.

I don't know why I was so worried, but I just felt like I should've been worried. Worry wasn't an emotion I felt for anyone but my family.

I adjusted myself, so my head was now laying on my brother's lap and my legs across the rest of the seat. I looked up at Yato, and he looked back down on me. He smiled greatly, I had never seen Yato look so scared in my entire life. Sensing the discomfort he began to hum a song Pa used to sing us to sleep with. Soon enough, I found myself drifting off into a deep sleep.

Just when I thought I had finally trailed off to sleep, a large object thudded against the back of our car, and I immediately shot up, turning to face the back. All I could remember was Pa adjusting his rear-view mirror; him then speeding off, and the loud sounds of gunshots ricocheting. Then total blackness.

Nothing but total. . .

Blackness.

SILVIA

Everything around us was total darkness, all I could see were little windows, the coach behind, and the coach in front of ours. Apart from that, there was nothing else visible insight.

I turned around so my whole body was facing Rhea, "Shouldn't I be asking you that, who are you?" I stared at her intensely, the awkward silence continued for a while, but never the less I continued to stare.

How many miles it had been, I didn't know; how many minutes had gone by, I didn't know; how many stares we had gotten, I didn't know.

But what I did know was that my father has been keeping secrets from me. First of all, he came into school earlier today telling me especially that something might happen and to be careful. And then now that something big has happened it appears he is no longer my father. Other students' phones were buzzing with messages and calls from their parents every 5 minutes. By my phone, completely silent. Even Rhea received a call every now and then. But for me. It seemed I didn't even have a father.