9/11 Short Stories

The darkness in the sky gave a hint towards the evil lurking in the world. Suspicion filled the minds of all trusted to defend particular terrain. A wind blew across the world. The kind of wind that seemed to whisper,” Boo”. Upon a strike of thunder, rain started to beat the ground. An aroma of terror had been commenced.

Someone is touching my face, slowly running long fingers through my hair and down the side of my sore face. It’s what causes me to stir and gradually wake up in an aching body I wish I didn’t own. I groan, rolling my face away from the hand. The word, angel, continues to be softly repeated over and over again, but there’s something mocking, almost angry, in the voice.

You’re too thankful to be anything but satisfied. “Right now, he’s recovering from the procedure he just did.”

“I heard my mom talking to someone on the phone about my Dad... and that I might be targeted because of him.”

It was a dark and stormy night with the rain pelting the window. A sharp, loud crack of thunder had just woken Artemis. Throwing back the covers on her bed she got up and walked over to the bay window. Sitting down on the plush cushion she rested her head against the cool glass. Out of nowhere a bright streak of red light flashed by followed by a crash big enough to shake the house. As she was staring at the huge boulder on the edge of the woods, she began to notice more streaking through the sky. One... two.. three.four she counted before they began racing by so fast that they were impossible to count.

I had just exited the barber shop when my dad was waiting for me inside his van. I agreed to help my aunt move her household items into boxes in preparation for her new home. I agreed to help because not only was I close to my aunt; I also get to see my cousin, Joseph. I had kept my thoughts about him throughout the car ride until we finally arrived at my aunt’s house. As usual, she ran outside to welcome me and my dad warmly while Joseph stood on the doorway watching us from the shadows. When I walked up to him to say my greetings, he did the same but he wasn’t as enthusiastic as the three of us. With that, my Dad worked alongside our aunt while I was paired with my cousin who was in charge of carrying living room furniture out of the house.

It was nearly a 4:30 in the morning and Asher Aamil lay in his bunk, staring at the pockmarked prison ceiling, enjoying the soft patter of the early morning drizzle against the window. He very much loved these dark days, the created a gloomy, dark atmosphere, yet it was relaxing and they still got to go out into the yard. He lay there for nearly an hour, relaxing, thinking about the circumstances that landed him where he was today, the same routine he had for the most part of the last two years. At about a half hour until five he slips out of bed and gets ready for the day, and soon the guards come around as they all do at six sharp. He shuffled through the day and found himself in the cafeteria at noon. And that was where his schedule

“What is wrong with you?” Ellie exclaims out loud. She doesn’t care when the few people she passes turn to stare at her. “He is just a man, granted, a remarkably hot, good looking one. However, that is no excuse for you behaving like a love struck teenager.” Sighing Ellie scans the street for the restaurant Becky recommended. There, just down the street, Sarah’s Cozy Café, she starts walking quickly towards it.

A man of his mid-twenties, Lucas Walker, was walking down the sidewalk. The colorful leaves swirled on the ground near him. They were almost completely gone from the trees. Recently the sky had gotten darker foreboding the coming of a storm. As Lucas continued, he heard his stomach grumble. It was around noon, so it was to be expected. Quickening his pace he made his way to the nearby cafe. Lucas strolled toward the building. Looking through the window he saw himself. He wore a red sweater with jeans. Lucas mumbled about the overpriced cafe in front of him, clear displeasure flashing across his face. He pushed open the door and entered. Only a few people were there and after scanning the room for a seat he froze when his eyes crossed a certain lady.

Doris and I bike in silence in the morning. When we stop for a coffee break, the sun rises over the Pacific. “Another amazing day on Planet Earth,” I mumble and turn to Doris. “Thanks for sharing it with me.”

I scrambled to my feet, wiping the blurriness of the drugs from my eyes, and catching my balance on one of the metal poles that supported the floor above me-- the first floor, as I was in the basement, judging from the unfinished look of the place. I took a step towards the stairs and found myself on the floor again, courtesy of the metal cuffs connecting the support pole and my ankle.

Unfortunate for them, all of us were settled in the private bus taking us to the Church. It was already eight. Some of the overly religious oldies were getting cranky about the long wait for the boys. They wanted to leave. Just like me. Unlike some species, I loathed tardiness.

It was a mysterious, windy, dark night. Annabel, a short young girl with jet black hair, eyelashes that reached the sky and eyes like a puppy dog, had just awoken on the floor of a cold dark forest. As she took in her surroundings and wondered how she had got there, a sudden pain appeared in her head and she had a brief flashback of painful memories of the car crash that she and her parents had just been involved in, a horrific accident; she lay there as tears slowly welled up in her eyes and rolled down her soft, pale cheeks. The thought of her deceased parents sent a shiver up her spine; she couldn’t believe they were gone.

I scrambled across the floor, my knees grazed and bruised purple. Catching my breath, my head spun and I quietly reminded myself that I must keep breathing. In and out. Steady. I silently recalled all the places I've hidden, crossing them off the list. He'll look at those places first and I couldn’t afford to be caught this time. I told myself that everything was on the line, I had to flee - hide.

“Hellloooo,” I heard the mysterious voice call out into the bushes, “I know you are out there.” Hearing those words, it took every bit of my courage not to scamper out of sight.