Andrew's POV

Hi everyone! :) Here's the continuation of "The Hard Fall" and "The High Rise".
It's not really a chapter per say, but parts of the story put together. Hope you like it!

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By the time I got home the water had risen to my ankles. I was panting heavily from running all the way here with a net quarter full of fish, which I laid aside.

I got my little sister Isabelle and my mother out of there to head to the bridge.

Our house wasn't much, one floor, one space. Kitchen was a few feet from the living room, which was a few feet away from the bathroom.
If that flood were to reach our home, it wouldn't even stand a chance.

Our province was divided into 4 sections, as I like to call it: Civilization, the water, the wild, and the barren wasteland.
Civilization was where we lived.
The people in my village were of the poor sort. It was easy enough to wake them all up to head over to the bridge that met in the middle of our 3 villages. There were also some perks to our village, we lived closer to the bridge so I suppose it would take less time to get there. Imagine a sideways staircase, where ours were much higher and closer to the top.
There was mine, then the more fortunate one, but only slightly, and the most fortunate with houses that reached up to 2 bedrooms! Maybe even a small upper floor. They were made of cement while ours was made of branches and hay, etc.
When it rained we had to cover our hut with a blue plastic wrap for the water to slide down.
It a storm we would stay over with Catherine's family, in far village, which had at least 4 cemented walls and then rebuild ours.

My father and I used to rebuild it together before the incident happened. I don't like to think about it a lot.
The water was the long flowing river that runs every year. It has plenty of fish there, and a little part where clothes could be washed, or people could sometimes bathe if the weather was hot. Sometimes little children would play on the close river side, not far from where Catherine would usually be.
Up the river, a large dam was there to hold incoming water from rain and prevent it from flooding our village. There were two parts of the wild: one we avoided that had rabid animals that could kill you, and one that we went to, to either hunt or get some plantation.
The barren wasteland was something that we’d like to stay out of. Temperatures in that part were burning, and sometimes even cold. It was unexplainable. The stench was unbearable and was repulsive to think about.


I grabbed some things that would be useful: flashlight, blankets, some packaged food.
If that flood were to reach, I'd like to be prepared.

All this happened in a span of 2 minutes. We all had to get out of here as soon as possible.

Men and women of all ages were scrambling out.
The stronger men, including me, we made sure no one was left.
It wasn't a hard job after all. Small village, small houses, easy to get to, easy to go.

In this short time the water had risen to our knees.
Some of our furniture was ready floating loose in the dirt streets.
Time was the last thing on my mind, but an illuminated clock I had spotted inside an open window read 10:50pm.
It was late.

A blanket of darkness covered our village, with only litte tiny stars that were twinkling the night sky that looked like holes poked through our blanket.
A full moon was out.

Without the flood, this would've probably been a peaceful night, beautiful even.

The night I would’ve probably imagine myself telling Kitkat-- Cathy, how I really feel.
I almost did, but I knew there were much more serious matters involved.
Things were happening right now, and I had to keep my head on the ground.

I saw people here were doing the same, carrying their necessary items, those unable to have any, they knew we would all share with one another.

We don't want any more deaths this year than there needs to be.

I saw Anna, a 30 something lady with her hands full. I approached her and carried her bag of what i guessed baby clothes, blankets and bottles. A basket of food and other nessesities.
Her boy, Eric, was wrapped in multiple white cloths laid asleep in her careful arms. He was her first.

"Thank you Andrew," she smiled looking up at me. She was a short lady, her body form skinny that made her look tall from a distance.

"It's no problem Anna," I replied.

We were all moving faster now, a quite a distance from the river and closer to the place we would cross to safety.
Water still straddled on our knees but descended just a smidge.
My guess is that it sunk down in those holes that were dug to prepare for the deaths we were expecting. But I knew we wouldn't have time.

We started crossing the bridge when I heard men suddenly yelling in different directions, I looked up and saw it coming closer. That wave that was 2 miles away looked like it was so much closer. I looked down and my torso was wet. It was only a matter of minutes before it was up to people's heads.

Anna's husband came into view. He was passing out baskets of blanket and food around as well as the safety we so thought to have.

"I can take it from here." Anna took her things, nodded at me in thanks, and headed over to her husband and people that were sighing in relief that they made it.

I saw Isabelle, mother and other men and women huddled together in safety. It wasn't a time for celebration yet, they still had to keep moving.
I was about to approach them, but suddenly remembered Tom.

Oh shoot.
I cursed under my breath.

He didn't know. They didn't know. They all were...
Stopping my thoughts, I shook my head in regret.

Gritting my teeth, I turned around and started to run to the middle village.
Towards the incoming flood.