Pain. My entire body was throbbing. The room was swaying. Cold. The floor was cool against my bare skin. There was a small breeze on my neck. Then I saw a blinding light behind my eyelids. Darkness again. Complete sensory deprivation.
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***
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My eyes flew open. It took me a moment to figure out where I was. I was in the small basement in the Brick. Looking around, I saw Alex sitting at the table, calm as could be. Maggie and Sammy were standing next to me. They both looked really worried. I groaned and propped myself up on my elbow. I was laying on the floor. “What happened?” I asked wearily. I knew I passed out, and being unconscious for who knows how long twice in one day was kind of draining. “Well, you touched the weird stuff, and electricity seemed to surge through it. Then you kind of collapsed and fell off the chair,” Maggie explained. “Yeah… I probably should have warned you about that,” Alex said. I turned to glare at him as I struggled to my feet. I stalked towards him, keeping my balance. Once I was a few feet away, I muttered, “You knew?” Alex shrugged. “You sorry little piece of-” I stopped talking and lunged at him. I drove my shoulder into him and he toppled to the floor. “Elias!” Maggie shouted. Alex was on the ground now, and I was next to him, on my knees. I raised my fist. Alex’s lip started to bleed. Again, and his nose bled. A third punch, and a cut opened at the end of one eyebrow. It bled and the blood pooled near his eye. I pulled back my arm again, but someone grabbed my hand.
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Whipping my head around, I saw Maggie. She was holding my wrist. I stood up, pushing away from Alex. As soon as I was away from him, his hands flew to his face, wiping away blood. I rolled my eyes. “Elias. Stop. He didn’t do anything wrong,” Maggie insisted. I pulled my hand away from Maggie roughly. “Why are you taking his side in this? Do you even have the slightest idea what I’ve been through in the past few hours?” When I didn't get a response, I said, “No, you don’t. You can’t. None of you can.” I turned and ran up the stairs, out of the Brick, and into the cool evening air. Looking around frantically, I walked around the left side of the building. Once I was behind it, I saw a thin, metal ladder. Grabbing onto the rungs, I started to climb. I had no thought in my mind other than, higher.
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Five hundred rungs later, the top of the building was getting closer. I continued to climb. Another 100 rings or so, and I could see the end of the ladder. I continued climbing. Finally, finally, I reached the top. I pulled myself over the railing that went around the entire roof. The top of the Brick was bare. A few blocks of metal were scattered about. No one else was up there. Except for someone sitting on the other side of the roof. This person was small, maybe a child.
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I crept forward. The child reached to her side, picked up a bottle and took a long drink. “Hello, there,” I said loudly. The child didn’t acknowledge me. “May I sit?” I asked. The person gestured to the ground next to her with the bottle and took another sip. I slipped to the ground. We were sitting close to the edge of the building. A meter forward and my legs would be dangling off the edge. The wind was howling in my ears. My hair was being whipped around.
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As I stared out over Salef, I couldn’t help but want to look at this child next to me. It was like she was hidden behind a cloud, unreachable by me and the rest of the world. Suddenly, she put down the bottle and stood up. I watched as she inched towards the edge of the building. When she was a few inches away, I decided I needed to do something. “What are you doing?” I demanded as I stood as well. “It’s okay. I’m not going to jump.” I took a step backwards. I opened my mouth, then closed it again. “Will you come sit again?” I asked, calmer this time. She stayed standing for a moment, then stepped back from the edge. She turned and sat down next to me again. Her long brown hair was swirling around her head in the wind. “My name is Elias. What’s yours?” This was the second time I’d introduced myself to someone today. Maybe this stranger wouldn’t make me pass out.
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“Juliet.” 249Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAXFFK5Qtj
“It’s great to meet you, Juliet. What’re you doing up here?” Now that I could look at Juliet, I saw she was a child. Maybe 9 or 10 years old. “Watching the world. I like to come up here when I need a break from everything on the ground. It’s easier here, in the silence. Well, except for the wind. The wind is very loud. Everything is much simpler when you’re alone. I’m also drinking water, like I’m supposed to.”
“Why are you up here alone? Does anyone know where you are?” I was concerned. This child was on the roof, alone. What if something happened to her? “I didn’t want to be with anyone for a while. But you’re okay. I like you. You’re nice. Someone knows where I am: you!”
“I mean, does anyone on the ground know you are up here?” Juliet thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Juliet, how old are you?” I was starting to get really worried. “Mama says I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” I understood that. I wouldn't have trusted myself if I was in her position, either. “Why don’t we get down from here?” I suggested. I knew how I looked. I didn’t want to come across as creepy, but that’s just society. Someone older talking to a child, telling her to go somewhere just doesn’t look good.
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Luckily, Juliet agreed. We started climbing down the ladder. I went down first, in case Juliet slipped. She didn’t, and neither did I. When we got to the ground, she said, “I’m nine and a half. And you’re Elias Hemsworth, right?” I was a bit confused with how Juliet knew this. “Ms. Hemsworth teaches my class at school! You’re her younger brother. I’ve seen you at the school a few times before. Ms. Hemsworth is very nice. She doesn’t give us a lot of homework, ever.” Oh. Juliet knew Mariah. That gave me a small sense of security, because I didn’t know where to bring Juliet, so I could bring her back to my house. Mariah would know where to bring her.
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Juliet and I started walking back to my house. When we got there, I shouted, “Mariah! I need your help with something!” Mariah came over to me. When she saw Juliet, she put on the happy face she always wore around students. “Well hi, Juliet. What’re you doing here?”
“Do you know where she lives? I found her near the Brick, her parents are probably looking for her.” Mariah nodded. “Yeah. Juliet, I’m going to call one of your parents, so I can bring you home, okay?” Juliet smiled. “Okay! Do you have any cookies? I’m kind of hungry.” I laughed. “Come on. Let’s go get cookies.” I led Juliet into the kitchen while Mariah called her parents. I found a box of cookies in the cabinet and put some on a plate.
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While Juliet was eating, I found Mariah again. “I’m going to bring Juliet home. Her parents have been looking for her all day, apparently. Sometimes she will disappear, or so they told me,” Mariah said quietly. “Juliet! Are you ready to go home?” Juliet came running around the corner. “Yep! I can’t wait to tell Mama that Ms. Hemsworth is even nicer out of school. And that her brother has good cookies. Bye Elias!” Juliet said as she walked outside with Mariah. I waved, then felt a buzz in the pocket of my pants. Reaching into my front pocket, I pulled out two phones, mine and Jays. Oh, right. Sammy, Maggie, and Alex were still at the Brick. I put down Jay’s phone and looked at mine. I had a message from Maggie.
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Maggie_Bates: Will you please come back? I'm sorry. We’ll be waiting 4 you
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Elias_Hemsworth: be there in 10
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I left the house again and jogged to the Brick. Once I got there, I found the door and went back into the basement. As I descended the stairs, I heard laughing. At the bottom, I saw Alex talking to Maggie and Sammy. Maggie turned to me. “Hey, Elias. Alex was just telling us stories about Salef’s past, like when the demons were here.” I nodded and sat down in a chair. “Sorry about what happened earlier, Elias. I’d honestly forgotten about the ash. It did that to me, too, when I tried to pick it up. I ended up just scooping some up with the bag. Do you want to look at the envelopes now?” Alex asked. I’d forgotten about those. They were the only thing he hadn’t mentioned on the phone. I nodded, and Alex handed me the first envelope.
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Looking at the front, I saw that it wasn’t addressed to anyone. Tearing it open, I unfolded a piece of crinkled paper. I recognized the handwriting.
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This must be stopped. The citizens cannot survive with the demons here. Salef is no longer a safe haven from the outside world. It is a death sentence, and everyone in it is standing above their tomb. Run while you still can. Run before they get to you. Run before it is too late. There isn’t much time left. The world will slowly fall to ruin with these monsters here. We as a society are not equipped to deal with them anymore. Do you think you have any power against them? You think you might be able to beat them? Maybe you do have some power. But not for long.
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“That’s my handwriting,” I said when I finished reading the first letter. “Is it?” Alex asked. “Do you remember writing this letter?” I shook my head. “Where did you say you found these letters again?” I asked Alex. “In my mailbox.”
ns 15.158.61.6da2
