Sirens

I'm working on this little by little. The song below inspired this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDLynKFYTLg


Hearing them was one thing, seeing them was something else entirely. Ever since the sirens had begun earlier that week, you could hear the rumbles in the distance but never actually see what was happening. I hadn't left my house when they had started. It was forbidden, and now I understood why. My room was illuminated by the warm colors of what was occurring in the distance. I stared bug-eyed and speechless, knowing already that this would be something I would never forget.

Looking to the streets down below, I could see a large amount of ambulances and fire trucks racing off toward the disaster that awaited them. Even at the age of twelve, I knew there wouldn't be much they could do to help. Nothing ever withstood what I had just seen . . . at least that's what the movies taught you.

The door behind me forcefully burst open and my father rushed in. "Jake! Get away from the windows!" As he closed the blinds shut, I could see more rockets falling from the sky. "Jacob, I want you to listen to me." He had grabbed ahold of me, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. The sounds outside were deafening. "Do you have the bag with all your clothes ready?"
"Yeh-yeah, it's under my bed."
He got down on all fours and pulled it out from underneath. "We've been over this before. You still remember where to go, correct?"
How could I forget? My whole family had practiced the same route for what felt like months. I knew now that it had all been in preparation for this night. "Yes," I stammered. "I remember."