Neither Hero Nor Villain PT 2

         I’ll tell you about my story. Though I wish I could change it, erase it, or even forget it, I can’t so, just let me explain. I won’t deny anything I’ve done, just tell you what happened and why. It all started a few weeks ago when I was hanging out with Robin.


         He was one of the closest friends I had, and he had helped me and my family when we couldn't get anything to eat. It was very rare in our community that one person helped another, due to the fact that everyone here was barely surviving themselves. Robin was never a downer, even in the darkest moments. He was always cheerful and chatty, if not mischievous.
In our spare time, we would meet up in out secret place. Then we would sometimes pick an apple or two, go swimming in the lake, go hiking, or even just sit and talk. I would tell my parents all about this, all of this, except for one. I would never tell my parents, or anyone, about this experience.


         It was when Robin I had gone to stand right in front of the Wall.


         Everyone knew where the wall was. The wall was there to separate our land from the 'evil' people on the other side. It was said to everyone that the people on the other side of the wall were so poor, dying every day, that they killed any newborn kids just so that the other people could survive. It was nothing compared to how we lived. We weren't supposed to go near it, and why would we, but when I saw it, instead of making me cower away in fear, it drew me in closer. There were red, orange, and yellow leaves everywhere. Most of the trees were bare but it wasn’t exactly ugly. It seemed…. Natural. The blue sky behind made the bare trees and the colorful leaves stand out more. The wall was made of slightly reddish brown bricks but it was partly covered with green vines and moss. There was a harmony between nature and the old yet strong wall that I couldn't really put my finger on. At that moment, I wasn’t thinking about the other side of the Wall, just what was right in front of me.


         I closed my eyes, letting myself be absorbed into the quiet silence and when I opened my eyes, I was standing right in front of the Wall.


         From behind, I heard loud, yet clumsy shuffling noises, making me jump and instantly turn around. I saw that it was Robin and let out a sigh of relief. He was trying to catch up with me. Before I could stop myself, I laughed.


         "Come on, slow-poke! We haven't got all day," I called to him.


         I knew I should have kept my voice down for we'd be in big trouble. There were always a few people patrolling the land near the Wall but there seemed to be none in sight. Robin eventually caught up to me but I had to shush him, just in case.
"Wow...," he breathed under his breath. His eyes traveled up, looking at the Wall in awe.


         I was just about to say something to him but at that moment, we heard footsteps. Robin and I looked at each other. When our eyes met, we realized, the sound was coming from neither one of us. Unconsciously, I sucked in a breath.
The person seemed to be getting closer, and closer as their footsteps got louder and louder. I shut my eyes tight and I could feel that the person was just in front of me.


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         My eyes were burning. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t see anything. I had my hand over my nose and mouth to keep the smoke from suffocating me. I felt like I was drowning except there was no water. I could hear a distant screaming and a yell of help. I didn’t like this helplessness but I knew I had to get out, or else I would end up dead. So with all my might, I starting running, trying to find an exit. After what felt like hours inside the burning house, I made it out. I gasped for clean air.
         Eventually, I felt better and I started to look around. The place that had once been my, our, village, the place we once called our home, was now just burning to the ground with, who knows how many, people in there. There were several people like me around. Some coughing, crying, or yelling for their loved ones, others looking at the place we once called home but no longer could.
         Not a lot had made it out, maybe thirty or forty people. Though none of us said it out loud, we knew one thing; we could no longer stay nor live here. We needed to find a new place to live.


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