Evacuation

I stood next to my mother on the wet, slippery platform, rain was cascading down on us. My clothes, suitcase and gas mask were soaked through. I stood, shivering, drawing in deep, calming breaths, inhaling smoke and dust from the already war-torn city behind me.

In the distance, an alarm bell sounded, warning people of an unknown danger that lay ahead. The tired shuffling of feet echoed over the platform, almost seeming like a whisper from the lost children. Near the edge of the platform, a small, tight-knit group of kids were pushing each other around, to the dismay of watching parents. The children's cries of joy sounded out, and they fell in a tangled heap on the cold, wet ground.

All around me, children were crying and screaming. The thought  of leaving their mothers seemed to terrify them as much as it terrified me. The sound of gas masks bumping into chests filled the still night air. Anonymous faces were crowding around me and leaving me more scared than before.

I was terrified. I didn’t want to leave my hometown. I was also excited, because I would be starting a new adventure in a new place. Anxiety was ruling over every other emotion. It was swallowing me without chewing. I was anxious about who I would be stuck with, and where I would be.

The air was clouded in smoke, swallowing up the people on the platform. Dust floated around, sticking at the back of my throat. The smoke fogged my line of vision and made my eyes water. Tears seemed to be part of my face. They sat on my cheeks and then slid to my mouth. They were salty and they stung my raw lips.

The train came, rattling down the rusty, old tracks. It came to a screaming halt and I found myself comparing it to my mother when she shouts. The conductor raised his voice and told all the children to get on board. I reluctantly stepped up onto the train, my shoulders shaking with sobs. I trudged up the corridor and flung myself into an empty seat. I looked out the window to say a final farewell to my mum, then the train started slowly rolling out of the station and I was engulfed in sleep.

Willow