[i]The Van.[/i]

Henry felt like he was floating as confusion and panic gnawed at him. It was painful enough trying to sort out the swirling cacophony of emotions and dark images clouding his mind. The strange exchange he's heard from his radio scanner, the explosion, and then this man who calls himself David showing up with his van, none of it made any sense.

"There's no time to explain, get in the van, or choose to die out here." David told him once the van was pulled over in front of Henry. He didnt know this man, which he found strange because he knew everyone in Midcreek or at least knew them by face.

"Who... who are you?" Was all Henry could manage to ask out of his confused mind, a huge lump was forming in his throat, making it hard to breathe, much less speak. 

"Let's just say I'm either friend or enemy. David is what they call me, nice to meet you. Now get in the goddamn van!"

Henry sat at the back of the van, there were other kids who looked just as scared as him. Some of them he recognized, and some of them were oddly familiar but he's never really seen them before. And there was Bee, Bianca Lewis, whom he's been friends with for as long as he can remember. The familiar sight was welcomed, and it took away some of his fears, but that doesnt change anything. The whole town, his family, the people he'd known all his life, all gone, burned to ashes. Henry closed his eyes, hoping to blink back tears.

A storm of emotions wrenched his gut, twisted and pulled; he wanted to scream, cry, throw up. He wanted to get away from these people, from this van, from that man David. He wanted to run back home, and go back to his life, that by some dumb luck this was all just a bad prank. His face felt warm, and wet. His body shook slightly as he silently cried away all the confusion, and the fear inside of him.

[center]***[/center]
[i]Moments before the explosion.[/i]

Henry grabbed his school bag, he wasnt sure why but he felt he might need it later, and then he broke into a run. What you should know about Henry is that he can run fast. He's neither strong nor athletic, but he's got the speed and stamina of a professional runner. It was probably because since he was a kid, he's been running errands for his mother, delivering orders to town in a daily basis.

Although her mother offered to buy him his own bike, Henry had to refused her. He knew she's barely making money at the diner to pay for the house rent, and his education, so he couldnt burden her any more than she already was. Anyway, Henry likes to run, he likes to feel the wind in his hair, in his face, how the world turns into a vibrant blur of colors around him. It calmed him. Somehow it felt like his free just by running, that in a way he's leaving all his worries behind.

But Henry didnt feel any of that now as he run along West Street. Henry ran desperately towards the Diner. It must be the longest run he's ever done in his life, or so what it felt like to him. He has to reach his mother, he has to tell her what's going on, or what he thinks is going on. Every second felt like hours, and his feet felt like they're not moving at all. [i]Please! Let me run faster!![/i]

He's been trying to contact Bee, he tried calling her several times, but she's not answering her phone. So instead Henry sent her a message saying that she meet him at their usual place, hoping that she'll get it before its too late.

[center]***[/center]
[i]Back at Henry's room.[/i]

He decided to ditch prom, and instead, stayed at home. Listening to his radio scanner was Henry's favorite pastime. It has become his evening routine to listen to police reports, and there's this thing about listening to police officers exchange cuss with each other that piqued Henry's interest. At first it was hard to listen, there were too many unnecessary words and static, but after a while, he's learned to interpret each conversations. But there was nothing that could prepare him for the conversation he had heard this afternoon.

[i]"H1 to V3, over... This is V3, H1, we copy..."[/i] The voices were not anyone from the Sheriff's office, Henry recognized, [i]"Confirm positions, over... Roger that, confirming V3 positions... West and North exit, confirmed... #6 and #7 arriving at the local High School..."[/i] There was a long pause, [i]"All positions confirmed, over... Roger that... H1, how long to engage the target?... Wait for the signal, it'll be up any minute now, over..."[/i] There was another pause, [i]"H1, this is A1, we have something going on here, over... A1, what do you have? Over... We have a situation over at the local Diner near the school, over... Send in someone to handle it, A1 do you copy?... H1 there's a woman, over... What woman?... It appears that she owns the place, she's sending the package away, over... Stop her A1, do you copy? The package must not leave the point!... On a second thought, take her out, I repeat, take her out! A1 do you copy?... But H1... I repeat A1, Take. Her. Out! Do you copy?... Copy that...."[/i] and that's when Henry started to ran.

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[i]25th Street.[/i]

Henry kept on running. He didnt care if his feet started to hurt, or whether his lungs were struggling to get air, he just willed himself to move forward.

Henry can see twenty-fifth street ahead, he'll just have to turn that street to reach the Diner. But before he could make the turn he heard the gun shot. "No... No no no no no no no!" His feet gave in under him, Henry stumbled down face first, [i]"No, please, please, please, no! Mom!!!"[/i] Henry called desperately, tears now streaming down his face. He tried to stand up, but his strength failed him. And then there was the loudest explosion he's ever heard in his life.

Right after the explosion was when all chaos broke free. Soldiers started to shoot anyone on sight, where they'd come from, he didnt know. Fire raged on to where the school originally stood, spreading quickly by the hour. It was like a scene from a movie he would watch, but this wasnt a movie. This was his town. Hit by a wave of confusion, blistered by panic, Henry stood up, and started to run again. He ran and ran and ran, until a van pulled in front of him, and told him get on it or die.