Stillness

By Evelyn Clemes
 * Stillness **

The train shook from side to side. The dark sky outside gripped the Earth, sinister and ugly. Grabbing anything it could. I turned away from the window to the carriage, where people sat in silence, a piercing silence. Some read books, some stared out the window and some were in their own worlds, happily prancing in a field of beautiful golden flowers. I was jealous, wanting a world of my own to go to when I felt ugly and miserable.

All of a sudden I jerked forward, the train cried out in agony as it tried to screech to a halt. I looked around the carriage; worried faces stared back at me. I looked out of the window, trees all around. In amongst the trees was the unknown. I jumped up in my seat. A bang from outside the train sent everyone into hysterics. Screaming, running, shouting, crying. That’s all I could hear. I tried to get away. I tried to run. All I could see were people. People scattering in all directions, like marbles being dropped on the floor. I was outside, a group of us surrounded by I assumed men. They had potato bags on their heads and guns in their hands, which they held in the air. They shot at innocents, men, women, children, anyone but themselves. They took what they needed and left, leaving devastation in their path. I got up off the floor and looked around. We were in the middle of nowhere, stranded and left to die.