Vision of Terror

It’s been years since I set foot in this place, the ominous halls, the old ceiling caving in, I can still picture that fateful day. Back when I was just a girl, walkin’ to this school with a smile on my face and dreams in my heart, but it was gone all too soon. The dreams turned to nightmares on that day, none of hardly anything or anyone survived; except for one thing. I searched the halls in sight for something I could salvage, after all, they were going to demolish and replace this place with a new school, though it will never get rid of the memories that still send chills down my spine.

 I got down to the cafeteria, the mainly devastated area, the walls only reached up to my knees, and you couldn’t see the floor past the rubble. I went to piles of rubble and pushed away at it, looking for something to salvage, nothing. I made my way to the exact class I was in that day, it was all normal, perfect, though notes of suspense lingered in the hallways, it all seemed fine. Nothing was out of the ordinary, there was a plane flying from above, and the room was silent; until we heard a loud crash, and a chorus of screams, the ground shook and we fell to the ground. Fire arose from where the bomb had hit, and smoke filled the halls. Teachers joined in a panic as they started evacuating children, I was following the crowd when I looked back and saw the cafeteria gone, and half the school in flames. When we had escaped, I heard the sirens of fire trucks and ambulances in the distance, mixed with the voices of teachers reassuring the weeping children. My head started to get fuzzy, and I looked around in what felt like slow motion, and my mind went silent, my sight became dark, that's all I can remember.

 I searched the room and memories came flooding back, it raced through my mind and I started getting dizzy, “not this time” I thought to myself as I clung to an old desk for support, and slowly pulled myself up. I scrambled to find something, anything, that could have survived the misfortune of this room. Brushing on the crumpled blackboard, I could feel all the feelings I felt then, the lack of hope that soon swept my mind; but then I saw it. I knelt down and brushed a pile of ash and rubble away to reveal a cracked porcelain music box, painted with flowers and vines. I turned the rusty knob on the side and it opened to reveal a beautiful dancer, flowers in hand. Music started to emanate from the box, I closed my eyes and started swaying to the soft tune. This was the only way my mind could escape those harrowing memories, I sat there listening, until I started to drift off and my worries began to fade.

I dreamt of bright blue skies, adolescent me walking to school happier than ever. If only life could actually really be this perfect, only in my dreams. The years have passed me by, imagining this all never happened, like I never lost so much so soon. “They’d never understand,” my conscience whispered; it’s true, and it’s unjust, no matter how many times I've looked back and feared this place, it can’t leave me, I can’t leave it, not yet. I awoke with a jolt, rubbing my head and huffing, while I looked up through the broken ceiling at the now night sky. I lay motionless, staring up, continuously toying with the music box still perched in my hands. I finally started to stumble my way out of the unlit room, walking in a daze towards the exit, but I felt an urge to stay, like there was more to be seen. I wandered down the halls in sight for somewhere I could have missed, and I saw it, a mysterious darkly-lit library that looked completely untouched. I stepped in cautiously, clutching onto my music box; “It’s freezing in here,” I thought to myself, hugging my arms for warmth. I ran my fingers on the books sticking out of the shelves, deals of dust and ash stuck to my fingers and I wiped it on my already dusty pants. I squinted to the far side of the library, stacks of books untouched, I crept over to the stacks and searched for something I could have forgotten. Copies of fairytale books stacked almost like building-blocks on the floor turned me back to the memories I missed greatly.

I spotted a filing cabinet, papers overflowing through the top of the drawers, and a stack of more papers on the top. I slowly walked over to it, holding out my hand, careful to not bump into anything, and gently swept my hand over the paper on the top; “The Water Creek School Devastation,” was printed on the top of the paper, it must be a newspaper. I read the description, it was written by a person who could never understand how it actually felt, I could tell by how under dramatic it was. I read further, names and pictures of victims who were killed, but then I saw something that made my blood run cold; “Harper Perkins” was another name on the list, my name. I dropped the music box, which caused it to start playing music, I walked backwards, gasping for air, finally reaching the wall I slouched down, the silence in the room was deafening and my surroundings were dancing. Different memories started to fill my mind, instead of already being outside of the building I was inside, clutching my music box and singing the tune while keeping my eyes shut, I was the only one there, they forgot me. “Wrong” I thought, there was no possible way that I could have died, I'm still here aren’t I? And how could they have just left me to die Alone?

I jumped up in fear and raced to the exit, I ran, and ran, and ran. I finally reached the door and pushed through with all the strength in my body, causing me to slip and fall. I braced for the ground but was warmed by a surrounding bright white light, Floating around in circles in what seemed like a version of heaven. Then it all went cold, silent, and dark. I was placed at the front doors once again, daylight crossed my view, “it’s been years since I set foot in this place” I recited, just like a script.