"Eldric! What happened to your feet? If you want to live, run faster!"

Sascha was panting as she ran hard through the numb snow. Eldric was far behind Sacha and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Albrecht. They were Eldric’s housekeepers. It was not long ago when a group of military personnel came gasping into their cars. A few of them grabbed a fist-sized device to warn the civilians about the bomb.

Sascha was right in front of her door, banging hard after the sirens rang. Mrs. Albrecht opened the door and gave a large smile when she saw her daughter’s face. Mr. Albrecht was also present, rocking in his rocking chair and watching the night sky fill with flaxen clouds. The radio was turned on to accompany his view. However, he wasn’t listening to anything after the sirens blew hard from the half-shut window.

Eldric followed them with his feeble legs when the Albrecht family started escaping from Vielist. As they trailed down their paths, numerous people gathered with them too. The road was getting narrower for the tall spruces. The desperate escapees who wanted to see themselves alive at least for tonight were hampered by the dark night sky. If they have to taste death, it should be a pleasant one.

After a mile, they reached the bridge to arrive at the school. However, these hundreds of frantic people were making it harder. Military personnel and some school volunteers came by now to resolve this chaos.

"Everyone, please maintain the line." "We understand your desperate terror, but there’s nothing we can do if you jam the bridge." The cold figure spoke to the dying crowd.

The young teenagers, who claimed themselves to be students at the school, were marched into their duty.

"Sascha, you should go and help them, dear. "Don't worry about us," said Mr. Albrecht. Sascha soon left her parents.

The crowds were increasing in number. Their eyes were outraged by the anarchy that roamed the atmosphere. Some of them raised their heads vertically to see the blackened sky to forecast what would happen next. In contrast, some of them were not looking at the sky. The terror of the bombing had staged mourning in them; they were crying hard and praying hard in worry. They begged for their lives from the sky. Unfortunately, the sky remained merciless.

Sascha ran near the line after she had been dislocated from the line. A walnut-skinned young man showed up in front of her. He looked like a splendid young man with his blue shirt tucked in and bent sleeves. His combed and slicked back side also set him apart from the crowd, and he held a piece of paper in his hand that he was using to make the tally.

"Hey, Dieter! What are you doing with the board?" Sascha asked, running close to him.

"I was assigned to count their lines and the people. Well, also take note of the evacuees," said Dieter.

"We don’t want to get our school dirty." He added.

"What? What do you mean by that? There is a bomb that will be dropped anytime soon, and you want to examine the people." Sascha looked frustrated. Her parents were in the middle of the congested line.

"I apologize, but our principal, Frank, gave that order. Don’t be silly. Have you forgotten you are from this school too? and please show your responsibility. I will not let anyone bother me after knowing what they did to our country. What do you want me to be? A traitor? No way." Dieter was clear about his intentions.

"But Dieter, my parents are in this line too? I can’t let them die there!" Sascha panted.

"Call your parents then, let’s see what we can do."

Sascha didn’t like Dieter’s firm response. However, she had to pick her parents from the line. Eldric was there too.

"Eldric, you also belong to this school. Don’t you think you should volunteer?" Sascha asked.

"Um… well, I was looking for someone. Have you seen that café lady somewhere?" Eldric opened his mouth.

"No, I didn’t. She lives about a mile away from us. I don’t think that lady can make her way before the air attack." Sacha replied.

As they saw some people pass the bridge without failing any mischling tests, the line shattered with rage. The clanging bridge hung there, emotionless in the face of human desire. Tens of people could have easily passed by the bridge, but in this deadly situation, it held only three at a time.

Sacha looked plainly at her parents as they trudged to the bridge. They eyed their daughter, who stood still with her fake smile.

Eldric searched the crowded hall, but there were only a few old ladies nearby, and none of them appeared to be Amala. A deep breath flattered him as he marched in front of the crowd.

"Hey, Mr. Voigt! I found your tante. She’s been searching for you throughout her path." A low voice came from behind. Eldric shook his head, and a cream-skinned girl showed up from the shady spruce. Her left hand was holding Amala’s hand, and she used her right hand to attract Eldric.

Eldric ran toward them and hugged Amala tightly. Amala could feel his heart bounce.

"Oh, dear! I am glad you are safe! I searched the town for you, and this young classmate of yours showed up. Thank you, miss." Amala explained.

Eldric gazed with gratitude at the young girl. Throughout this time, she maintained her smile with her round face and small lips.

"Let’s quickly move to the school before the bombing arrives." Eldric didn’t want to waste time. He took her and crossed the bridge. The soldiers and other students in blue didn’t say anything to them. That young girl left them on the bridge and joined Sascha’s group with a white page to note numbers.

"WE are not JEWS!" The crowd chanted. They were too desperate to escape the night. However, the cold-hearted students and the cold-hearted soldiers didn’t try to listen to any one of them.

"Please, sir, I have my whole family down there; my wife is standing with our five-month-old baby. Let us leave this hell." A father figure cried to the stoned soldier.

"Show us your documents. We will let you enter the school." Dieter asserted.

After Dieter finished speaking, the man's gaze did not leave Dieter's. His lips became shaky as he couldn’t fire out anything to the young boy who showed his driving force. His wife had a solemn expression on her face. The night looked so cruel to them, and the breeze was stealing the tranquility.

The man then noticed the scenario. His breaths were coming faster than his wife could figure them out. His eyes were riveted to the bridge.

"No… No… Don’t go." The wife screamed, but it was too late. By then, the cloud had completely obscured the night. The night darkened just to make things more difficult for the witnesses. The man dashed to the bridge, oblivious to the possible outcomes. His temptations dragged him to the end of the bridge. He had figured out the bright light that would spark there.

BANG!

It was faster than anyone could have ever expected. The sound had traveled faster than the light in the caliginous scene.