xenophobia

You know the feeling when something is coming. That creeping feeling of fear climbing up your chest, the tight feeling as someone is choking you and the feeling as though you want to sink six feet in the ground. They were coming, they knew what happened, we had no time to lose, we had to get away.

Without a second to think about a plan or the consequences that might turn from a potential scenario to a realism within seconds. I sprint from my bedroom to the last bedroom down the hall, I slammed the door without a care for the person behind it.

“Clara! Clara, get up now!” I yelled, ripping the blanket from her small body. She wakes up with a start, “Lyra? What’s wrong?” she asked, tilting her head in curiosity with fear swimming in her brown eyes. “Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?” I didn’t answer the question, instead I rushed over to her draws and threw some warm clothes at her and shoved a couple of sets of clothes in a back pack, like I did earlier.

“No time for questions, get in the car now” I spoke, with a hint of authority in my voice. With no hesitation, she follows my orders, Clara is barely even ten, I need to protect her with all of what I have, I will protect her to my last breath.

It only took us ten minutes before we were speeding down the highway. “They know, Lara” I said, eyeing her in the seat next to me, “how did they find out?” she asks, tears of fear slipping from her big brown eyes. I didn’t know how to answer her, I had no idea how they would find out, no matter how many scenarios screamed around my head. “I don’t know, Lara, but I won’t let anything happen to you”. I gave her a soft smile, my own tears slipping down my own cheeks. “Get some sleep, I’ll wake you up if anything happens… Okay” my little sister gave me a sleepy smile and slowly began to drift off to sleep. Nothing is going to touch my little sister, before we left our house I stashed enough weapons in my car for a small army. I turned up my radio trying to distract myself from the suffocating dread cascading towards us, I won’t let it come too close to us without a fight.

I was ripped from my rabbit hole of horrific scenarios, by my phone ringing. Looking at the caller ID to see the one person I can always trust to have my back, Jaxson.

He has always been there for me since high school with every fight and all of the punishments that came after, he has never given up even after my dad died and I had to devote all of my attention to Clara.

“Hey Jax, how have you been?” I answered with a small chuckle. “Why the hell are you asking about me, I’m not the one on the run” he practically screamed at me through my phone, of course he knew, Jax always had a way of finding out everything before everyone else. “Where are you heading?” he asked, I heard different noises in the background, I’m pretty sure at one point I heard something shut on a car. “Why?” I asked, taking a quick glance at the little girl next to me. Then my question when a car engine came through the phone, “Jax, no it’s too dangerous” I said seriously, he let out a scoff I could practically hear his eyes rolling. “Yeah, because I’m going to be sitting on my couch watching ‘Phineas and Ferb’, shoving junk into my mouth. Whilst you and your little sister are running for your lives I let out my own scoff at his words, “now I ask again, where are you headed?”

“I’ll send you my location” I said with a sigh, he always manages to win, always had since high school. I pull up at a fast food restaurant. I knew it would not take him long to find us, then we would keep moving. “Lara, are you hungry?” I shook her awake, as soon as I mentioned food that girl has more energy then a puppy on steroids. We walked into the restaurant, and a waitress came to our table within seconds.

“Hi, what can I get you today?” she asks with a fake smile on her face, “we will get two cheeseburgers and two cokes please”.

I look over at my sister with a cheeky smile on my face, “you want ice cream to go?” I asked, she almost jumped from her seat with excitement, “yes please!” how could anyone hurt such a sweet soul, they knew what we did, there was no escape no matter how long I would’ve pleaded for. My thought was cut off by the door opening and to my relief, Jax was here. “Hey Ly and little Lara, let me guess she promised you an ice cream” he asks, nudging Clara, to which she replies with an excited nod.

But nothing good lasted long, the dread came back, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I turn to look out the window across from us, and my worst nightmare has finally come true. I can’t let them take us, they knew what we did… they knew what I did, and there was no way in hell I was going to let them lay a hand on my little sister's head. To protect my sister I would kill and slaughter as many of them as I have to, to protect her.

I move my hand to the belt around my waist, like hell I would leave my car empty handed. I slowly pulled a gun from my belt giving my oldest friend a nod to follow.

I looked at Clara and Jax, the fear swallowing us, we had to make it out.

“RUN!”