Chapter 2:

FLASHBACK ALERT*

The day of the attack...

~OoooooO~

"We should be arriving very soon", the taxi driver announced but he kept his eyes on the road.

Andrea admired the skyscrapers that they drove past as they made their way through downtown. She had heard many wonderful things about the United States of America but seeing it with her own eyes was something completely different. It was absolutely magnificent, buildings were almost as high as the clouds.

"This is amazing, it's perfect!" Andrea said excitedly. It was hard to contain her joy, she just couldn't believe they were here.

"It's definitely...something", Sofia replied drily. She had to admit, it was impressive structure but she didn't come all this way to sightsee.

Sofia held her her child comfortably in her arms as she glanced at the city before her. It was very big, everything was ten times larger then back home. There were many cars of course and people of all races. But she didn't really want to befriend her surroundings, her goal was to create a better life for: herself, Andrea and now her child. The rest didn't really matter. But maybe, just maybe... this place wouldn't be so bad.

Sofia and Andrea are the lucky ones, they made it out and lived. At first the war didn't really affect their part of town, until the bombing and the shooting started. Everything becomes unbearable. Then one day her house got bombed, her and her sister got out in time but her parents weren't so fortunate. With no place to stay, they moved to a refugee camp. It was okay at first, they fed them and gave them a bed to sleep on. Sure the food wasn't great but it was better than eating expired bread and drinking unclean water. Plus sleeping on the floor was starting to suck, if they hadn't moved to the shelter, she didn't know how much longer her back could take. But then like everything else, things went south.

They always did.

She ended up getting sexually assaulted by a Turkish soldier. He was a lot older than she was and he was very rough with her. It happened two weeks after their arrival. Of course she told no one apart from her sister. She wanted to sue the bastard but how could she? She had no identity, no home, no passport, no country. She was a nobody. So she kept quiet and decided to keep the baby. When asked how, she lied and said she got pregnant before entering the camp. The officials didn't make too much of a fuss.

Her pregnancy was pretty calm and Andrea was a big help. The soldier was transferred to another camp, much to her delight. Nothing major happened after that, she delivered her baby without complications and popped out a healthy baby girl who she named Zara.

Sofia looked down at her sleeping daughter and kissed her forehead before stroking her fragile face. She didn't know how they were going to get through this but they were going to make it for sure.

BANG!

Sofia opened her eyes wide alarmed as she heard the gunshot. Her feet starting shaking, this brought back awful memories for her. How could this be happening?

Before she knew it, a black van was heading towards them and crashed right into their taxi. Glass went everywhere and the engine inevitably were destroyed.

Sofia opened her eyes a few minutes after the crash to find her sister Andrea bleeding fromeverywhere. Her first response was to call her name of course.

"ANDREA!"

But the brunette did not respond. She also shook her shoulders, slapped her etc but she didn't move a muscle. It was too late. The pressure of the car must've been too great, Andrea didn't make it. Sofia looked over at the taxi driver, there was no use even trying with him. He was clearly gone.

"ONE OF THEM IS STILL ALIVE, I HEARD HER YELL!" A hoarse voice said.

Sofia immediately panicked. She kicked the car door open and ran. She was injured however, she has a deep cut just above her eyebrow and her side has been pierced. Nevertheless, she ignored the pain and did her best to get away. As she fled, she heard pitter patter of feet behind her, Sofia sped up. Zara, who was untouched by the crash, opened her eyes and cried.

"Shshsh, mommy is here sweetie", Sofia said rocking her back and forth. Zara relaxed and held unto her mother's index finger before closing her eyes once more. Sofia smiled, she also seemed to have lost the men after her. She crept down a quiet alley, with walls covered in graffiti.

"KEEP UP, SHE'S CLOSE I CAN FEEL IT" The same voice yelled.

Sofia trembled slightly but then composed herself. She started walking north but almost tripped due the boxes at her feet. That gave her an idea. Among the numerous cardboard boxes, there was one just big enough to fit Zara. Sofia leaned down and placed her baby into the box delicately.

"I love you baby girl. If I don't make it back to you, just know I did whatever I could to protect you"

"THERE SHE IS!"

Sofia turned around and faced two men with black masks, she pushed the box behind her so that it would blend in with the other boxes. The men just stared at her before raising their guns, she flinched but kept calm. She wasn't going to beg for her life. She knew it was her time and was ready to die with dignity.

Only one gun was fired and it was a clean shot, straight through the superior vena cava. Her heart had been hit hard, she fell to the ground instantly. The shooter left immediately while the other stayed behind to close her eyes, she deserved at least that much. Then he ran too.

The police arrived a few hours later. Her body was taken along with her sister's and the taxi driver's. The site of the murder had been scanned for prints then cleaned incredibly well. It was as if it never happened. Yet no one found little Zara, she was still sleeping soundly in the cardboard box...