Wings of Death

Decision time

Life is all about making right decisions at the right time. It doesn’t follow a straight path. Often destiny leads humans down a path which diverges at the farthest point. Nathan was now standing at the crossroads. His decision would affect everyone around him. Now was the time to shoulder a leader’s burden. He could consult as many people as he wanted to but in the end the decision had to be made by him. Though some of the survivors were unwilling to trust such a young boy, they knew he was their best hope in this situation. Time was running out, he had to choose fast.

Nathan took one look at the one year old who was struggling to breathe and his mind was made up. He cleared his throat and spoke with grim seriousness, “We can’t wait for Captain Elijah to arrive. We simply do not know how long we would have to wait. I think we should try to find a couple of buses and drive to the military base ourselves. It is still raining so there is no need to worry.” He wiped the sweat off his forehead and continued, “I won’t force my decision on anyone. If you want you can come with me. Those who want to stay here and wait for the captain may do so”.

Margaret did not like Nathan’s idea at all. She too was worried about the child but she was unwilling to risk the lives of the other survivors. Half of the people decided to join Nathan while the rest of them wanted to stay behind and wait for Captain Elijah. Margaret and her parents also decided to stay behind and wait. Alex and Nathan led the people outside and then started searching for buses which were still in working condition. Several thoughts clouded Nathan’s mind. Margaret had always been the voice of reason and he had decided to ignore her suggestion. He was glad that at least Alex was by his side. Back inside the subway, Margaret had taken everyone back to the platform and shut the doors. The safety of the survivors was her first priority. She wanted to stay strong but she was too worried about Alex and Nathan to think straight. She prayed for their safe journey and texted Dr. Erica about the sudden change in plans.

Meanwhile Nathan had managed to find a bus; everything seemed to be alright except the shattered window panes and the cracked glass door. He called Alex to help him get the bus started. Alex climbed into the driving seat and found the key was still attached. There was just one problem; the bus wasn’t big enough for all of them. The man with the red beard decided to stay behind with his wife and two sons. Nathan and Mr. Smith thanked him warmly and promised to come back for them. 

Alex turned the keys and the engine started with a rumbling noise. The bus started moving at a brisk pace. Alex had to be careful and avoid crashing into the abandoned cars. After fifteen minutes they had just managed to cover 5 miles. It was impossible to go any farther. In front of them, a portion of the bridge had collapsed. Nathan advised everyone to get down from the bus. They had to find an alternate route. Alex checked the map on his cell phone but he was unable to find any other road which led to the military base. Nathan knew that they were all sitting ducks in the open. He had to act quickly. The people stood there clueless. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were so worried about their daughter that they had completely forgotten about the Bloodwings.

“Look mommy! A rainbow”, cried a little girl pointing at the sky. While everyone was busy admiring the beautiful rainbow and clicking pictures of it, a thought flashed across his mind. He yelled. “We need to get off the streets right now!” Nathan knew if a rainbow was forming it meant the rain was about to stop. His mom and dad urged everyone to put away their phones and do as their son advised. The survivors did not understand what was going on and started whispering among themselves. Nathan did not want to tell them what was about to happen, he knew that they would start panicking if he told them that the Bloodwings might show up at any moment. Alex understood what was going on and he requested the people to follow him. He told them that he had managed to find an alternate route. He lied. They started walking back from the broken bridge. Alex kept walking while trying to search the map for a parking lot or subway. There were no such places nearby. His hands started trembling in fear and he desperately tried to act normal. Nathan realized that he had doomed them all due to his terrible decision.  “I should have listened to Marge”, he kept muttering to himself. It wasn’t fear that he felt, it was anger. He knew it was his fault and he clenched his fist in rage. As he walked behind Alex, he kept cursing the Bloodwings under his breath.

They had just managed to get down from the bridge when the sun pierced the helpless clouds with his burning lance. The raindrops vanished right in front of their eyes and they all realized what it meant.

“Why did it stop raining?” shouted a man at the back.

“I don’t want to die. Nathan, you are going to save us right ?” cried an old lady.

Nathan had already given up hope. The cries of the survivors fell on deaf ears. He did not even bother to look at them. His parents walked up to him and placed his palms within theirs. Nathan remembered his kindergarten days and his eyes welled with tears. He kept thinking, if only he had listened to Margaret, his parents would not have to die. His only consolation was that Marge was safe inside the subway. He wanted to talk to Marge one last time so he took out his phone from his pocket, but it was already too late. The terrifying screams of the Bloodwings were heard once again, his hands trembled in fear and he dropped his cell phone on the ground.