It was pure anarchy on the streets; the clear beautiful day had turned into an orchestra of screams, stampeding feet and exploding cannon shells.

In the chaos I remained a frozen figure. My mind kept on repeating a mantra of words, "Pirates, pirates are attacking."

I knew this world was significantly more dangerous than my old one, but there was always a naïve belief its danger wouldn't touch me here. The town hadn't been attacked for 6 years.6 years. In fact, I remember Skyla stating the last pirate attack was the one that claimed Tommy's parents' lives.

"Tommy." My heart dropped into my stomach. I lost him in chaos of the streets. He was just a small boy. This attack would bring back his worst memories and the desire for revenge. I needed to find him and make sure he was safe.

He was my friend, my brother.

I began to run towards Grandma's house hoping against all hope that Tommy would go there as well…

BANG!

A sudden blast took place in front of me and my body was thrown back in the aftermath until I had hit a wall. A screen of smoke and pain filled my eyes.

Slowly the smoke cleared and I looked towards the origin of the blaze when I noticed the canon shell had hit Skyla's book and map shop.

Painfully, I forced my body to rise, wincing at the amount of agony that was going through my body and walked towards the ruined building trying to see the damage. Skyla would be heartbroken. She loved her store.

As I walked towards the building looking at the wreckage, horror filled me as I saw a half mangled body in the rubble.

It was Skyla.

"Des, help me," she said in an anguished voice, raising her bloody arm.

Skyla's lower body was completely crushed from the rubble of the blast; her one arm was violently broken. I could see a bone sticking out. Her body resembleded a broken mannequin

I took a step back. This woman didn't look like Skyla. Skyla was filled with laughter and vibrancy that just sang life. This woman looked as if she was on her deathbed.

Blood pooled around her body and flowed down in little streams down the cobbled street. I took another step back. Was even possible for the human body to be filled with that much blood?

"Des, please stop the pain.

I took another step back. This wasn't Skyla. Skyla couldn't be dying in front of me.

"Des. I'm scared. I don't want to die."

Not Skyla. It wasn't Skyla. GODDAMMIT THIS WOMAN WASN'T SKYLA. I couldn't be witnessing someone I knew and respected dying in front of me.

"Des, please, please. Make it end."

Her tormented begging didn't end.

It didn't end.

Why didn't it end?

I turned around and I fled.

I ran and ran not caring where I was going as long as it was away. Away from the danger. Away from my friend dying. Begging for me to end her pain.

I couldn't see where I was running. All I knew was that I had to get escape from this town, from the screams that filled the air, from that smoke that stank of death and reeked of pain.

I pushed my body faster and faster. Skyla couldn't, wouldn't survive that. She would die buried amongst the rubble. My body's flight or fight instincts were coming into play. My mind screamed at me that Skyla was dead, but I was alive. I had to make sure I was alive. The town was a liability. I didn't even belong here so it was beyond unfair that I had to die here.

I ran and ran. I refused to stop until I couldn't hear the screams in the air any more. 'It's not safe to go back' my mind whispered to me. I agreed with it. I wasn't a fighter in this world. I wasn't even a citizen in this world. Its fights weren't mine. Skyla's death wasn't my problem.

I finally stopped running and noticed that I reached the same beach that Tommy and I visited earlier. I sank to my knees and started to cry.

I was scared. So very scared. I was 18 years old and didn't have my first kiss yet. I deserved to live. I didn't deserve to die in this world where no one truly knew me.

It was too early to be my end.

I didn't want to die.

Not me.

"…Let's make a kite together." Suddenly my mind dredged up the memory of Tommy and I making the kite together. Laughing as the glue stuck our fingers together.

Tommy. Tommy was in there. He was in amongst the destroyed buildings and screaming crowds. No, I told my mind. Tommy is smart. He'll hide. He wouldn't get into trouble. Another part of my mind whispered traitorously to me, "But didn't you say that this attack would bring back his worst memories? Weren't you worried for the boy?"

I breathed in deeply and tried to unsuccessfully reassure myself. Tommy would be okay. I wasn't a coward to run away. I was human. Who could blame me for running?

"You were really deeply asleep and were talking about this guy Newton. Who's he? Is he your boyfriend?" Tommy's voice again filled my mind. He would be okay. I'm not a coward. I was pretty logical and looking after one's self wasn't a cowardly act…

It was self-preservation. Self-preservation was what kept people alive. But wasn't it also a symbol for a coward?

It WASN'T a coward's act. I sank deeper in my arms and tried to stop my body from shaking.

"…You're like a little brother to me. And no matter where I go you can bet on that. Believe in the bonds we have created in this past 45 days and we won't ever forget each other."

Tommy was my brother. He was my first friend. I couldn't leave it up to fate to try and protect him. I had to do it myself.

I was beyond scared, but it had to be done. I was Des – physics and math nerd. I could survive a storm of incoming cannonballs. I just had to do this thing like everything else I did. Logically.

Standing up slowly, I tied to quell my body shaking. I took a moment to inhale a deep breath and let it out. I repeated he process about seven times until the shaking stopped. And with that I began to run towards the town.

As I ran towards the town I noticed that the smoke plumes still filled the air but what unsettled me was there was an eerie silence that also filled the air. It was unexpectedly quiet. No exploding cannonballs and no screaming. The agonizing orchestra had stopped. My freak out couldn't have been that long. Why was everything so quiet?

As I neared the town I slowed down. I didn't want to make unnecessary noise. I crept across the ruined buildings. The hairs on my neck stood up. Some instinct told me to be very careful. I stood with my back against the wall and peeked from the corner of it. I surveyed the town square and noticed some people on the far side of it.

I breathed a sigh of relief; it was probably the town's people. I was just about to walk out and scream for them to help me search for Tommy when a hand covered my mouth and yanked me back.

Terror poured through my body. I immediately began thrashing, hoping to scream and get free.

"Shut it. Do you want them to come by us, Des?" A voiced asked.

I grew still at the sound of this voice. It was Tommy's voice.

I turned around elated at seeing him and immediately embraced him. "You're alive," I sighed to him, my happiness showing through my voice.

He too looked relieved at seeing me.

"Come. It's not safe here," he said. "Let's creep to see the pirates. It may give us a clue as to what we're dealing with."

In my relief of seeing him alive I forgot my resolve of getting us out of that hellhole and instead dumbly nodded at his words.

We crept along the well and slowly the pirates came into view.

We then began to hear their voices. "…And search the town. We need supplies and don't want any unnecessary surprises. Remember our mistake from the last time."

Tommy went white at hearing this voice. I prodded at him.

"What's wrong?"

He just shook his head quietly and crept closer to the pirates.

After observing them in a few moment of silence I asked him, "Well do you know of them?"

Tommy looked at me, he's eyes appeared as dark as a starless night.

"Know of them? Yeah you might say so. I know of them alright. These are the pirates that killed my parents."

A/N: Hello everyone. I wasn't expecting an Internet connection during my holiday but managed to find one. However it's incredibly slow-as expected for the desert - so it wouldn't upload the complete document so I had to chop it in half hence the short chapter.

I loved all of your reviews and hope you guys had an awesome Christmas and are planning an epic New Year.

As usual tell me what you think. Hate it or love it? Let me know…