Wandering through the crowd of crammed people, I grimaced at the smell and the thoughts of the people around me. Shouting at each other, pushing, bargaining with one another, I realized this was how the new world worked.
Rebeka grabbed my arm and I looked up at her. Her eyes, rich with brown, stare down into mine. A shed of warmth radiated from them and I attempt to smile, letting her know I was doing ok. For the most part, I could lie to anyone with my smile but she was the only one in my life who could decipher my hidden emotions.
"Hang on." Toorop announced, his hand extended out to stop us in our place.
I only stopped because Rebeka's body, my guidance, stopped. I was too distracted by the strange tent next to us to pay attention to the order, I just followed.
Losing my interest, I glanced around at the tents that surround us. To our right, off in the distance, a large package draped with a brown cloak sat on the ground with a few Asian people walking around it.
Pain, agony, fear and torment surged through my body. For some reason, it drawled me in. I slowly began to step towards the large object, pushing my way through the crowd of people.
A familiar hand grabbed mine and tried to pull me back, "Where are you going?"
I raised my hand in objection and pulled away and continued to walk towards the pain. A man walked up to the object and pulled off the cloak revealing two small cages with two large bangle tigers occupying them. I gasped but took a bigger step towards them.
They were the most gorgeous creatures I had ever seen. Their eyes, a piercing yellow with deep pain and terrified minds search their surroundings. The one to the right locked her eyes on mine, her mouth dropped and revealed a set of large white teeth. Her breath exploded into the air releasing a cloud of smoke.
I watched her in amazement and stepped closer. I could feel her thoughts. Her anger, her hatred towards man kind, her pain, her longing to be free. I felt it as if they were my own cravings.
Instinctively, I called her Ella. I tried to make a soothing sound to let her know I meant no harm.
"What are you doing!" An aggressive pressure was applied to my arm, yanking my attention away from her. Glancing up, I met a familiar pair of angry eyes. Toorop.
Rebeka forced him to let me go, "Come on, let's go."
All three of us turned away from Ella and the other tiger and began to walk back into the crowd. A roar echoed out into the air as we continued to walk away. When I looked back, I could see the anger and protectiveness in her eyes as she leaped in the cage, slapping her massive paws against the bars. A chain hung around her neck and clashed with the metal bars. Rebeka's hand grabbed my arm forcing me to continue to walk. I wanted to stop and go back to reassure her everything was going to be okay but I knew I couldn't.
With the corner of my eye, I saw Toorop turn to look back. Ella roared, baring her teeth. Drool spit out and sprayed the air with it's wetness. He quickly turned back around and forced us to move faster.
He passed us and began to shove his way through the large angry mob of people. They were shouting and pushing against one another. Intruding energies and thoughts engulfed my head as we pushed and shoved back. Rebeka still had a hold of my arm as she lead the way through the crowd. I pulled back breaking the connection but continued to follow her.
A panic began to bubble in the pit of my stomach. Suddenly my vision went black and then it happened so fast; a large brown explosion, dead people, hurting people. I could feel everyone's pain and their thoughts, panic… chaos. It all pulsed through my body.
Confused and still enriched with all the emotions, my vision came back. I felt Closter phobic as I looked up at the towering angry people that pushed past cramming into my personal space, their faces were all very familiar. As I stared deep into their faces, I began to see blood. My whole body ached! Tears filled my eyes as the pain from these angry people fumed the atmosphere.
Putting it all together, I realized it was only a matter of seconds before this tragic event happened. Gasping for air, I turned around in the crowd and forced my way back towards the safety. Once I hit sections with less condensed people, I began to run. I traced our path and headed back down the aisle of tents, pushing past a few groups of people.
"Aurora!" The voice was faint. "Aurora!" I turned to notice Rebeka running after me, Toorop a few paces behind her.
I continued to run with panic burning through me veins. I was happy they were following me. I wanted them to survive just as much as I wanted too. I felt bad for these innocent people who weren't going to though. I slowed as I realized they were gaining on me.
"Don't go! You will die!" Rebeka reached me first and grabbed my hand.
"What are you doing!" Toorop grabbed me by the jacket, his breath staggered.
"Don't go that way!" I shouted again.
"She's not use to crowds." Rebeka replied defensively.
"We have to go now. We have no time!"
I quickly leaned in towards Rebeka's ear and whispered, "We have to get away."
Angrily Toorop towered over me, his veins pulsing out of his neck. "What is wrong with you!" He looked back at Rebeka, "Make her walk, or I'll carry her."
His large hand gripped my tiny bicep, "Stop. Don't touch her." He pulled his hand away.
"Don't go that way." I yelled into his face. Quickly glancing away, my eyes locked onto the building in the distance with the angry mob of people surrounding the entrance.
"We're going now." He pulled on my upper arm back towards the danger.
Giving him a good fight with my body I pulled the opposite way, "We have to get away!" He turned and began to really pull my arm.
Rebeka stepped in, "Don't touch her!"
My eyes widen and I opened my mouth to let out a blood curdling scream that shattered the air around us. Adrenaline pulsed through my body allowing me to rip my arm out of his grip and I began to run for my life. My scream still filtering through my lungs.
A large explosion penetrated the air as the building engulfed in dust and smoke. Other people's screams, besides mine, filled the air. As I continued to run, I felt the gust of wind from the explosion as it wiped past me. I began to stumble from the gust of unexpected wind but continued to stagger for distance. A large pressure of weight forced me down onto the ground and a large silver barrel flew over my head, bounding into a tent and breaking it in half.
I realized it was Toorop who had just saved my life from colliding with the barrel. His breath blew against the dirt forcing some rocks to scatter. Dust settled around us as we stood up.
"Come on."
The atmosphere was dead silent as I staggered to stand. All three of us turned to look back at the disaster. The air was too dusty to see too far ahead of us. Some tents crackled with fire as we stood taking in everything.
Toorop placed his arm around my upper back and lightly touched me to make me move. Unconsciously I obeyed him and began to walk back towards the, once whole, building. People scattered the ground hiding their faces in the dirt.
"We'll go to the train. We need to catch it. Come on." Some people laid still, alive, while others… dead. I recognized some of their faces, the ones from my premonition. They laid there, dead. My soul cringed at the sight of the accident. Or was it? My heart hurt at the thought but my body ached as I felt all their pain and agony. I wanted to stop and cry for them but I continued to walk. We headed towards the train and was one of the first people to board.