Sky on Fire

DEAN

JAKE WAS IN THE bus, trying to get it to go. But the wheels wouldn’t turn through the white stuff. They were disintegrated or something.

Astrid was next to me, the children huddled at our sides.

We would watch the bombs until they took us. That seemed to be the right plan.

Each detonation shook us and each detonation punched a hole in the sky. They were coming closer.

The light streamed in, in those pure, straight beams. ‘God light’ was what my mom had called it.

I thought of my mom and my dad and Alex, and I was full of love for them.

I drew Astrid to me. Astrid was so beautiful in her gas mask and all her layers and the little kids, too, and Jake – now standing on the steps of the bus, his chest heaving, his head thrown back to look at the firebombs – was beautiful, too. And I thought of how perfect we all were at that moment. And had always been.

I was ready to die and then Chloe grabbed my arm and pointed back toward the store.

I turned and saw – there was a helicopter on the roof.

I turned to Astrid.

‘Run!’ I shouted.