That day was the worst day of Anna's life. She can still remember the feeling of her flesh being burned, the smell of her father's corpse, and the feeling of her dead brother being in her arms. Her leg when the beam landed on her and shattered the bone. The doctors were almost ready to amputate her leg. They didn't, and her leg healed, although she is still in constant pain. It took Anna too many surgeries to attempt to remember. The trauma left her with nightmares and sleepless nights. Due to the incident, many children lost their families, and almost no one wanted to adopt, and many were left bankrupt after losing everything to the incident. Almost like a great equalizer, nearly everyone suffered something because of the appearance of those towers.
Anna lost what she felt was everything. She lost her ability to live without pain. Her ability to sleep without visions of what she lost. She lost her home, her parents, and her brother all in one day. It was a day that began like any other, and she lost so much that even now, in the present. She can still feel its effects. Her parents were wise, though, when they were alive. They had set up their wills and made it so that she still got an inheritance she could access, although it was supposed to be split between her and her brother. She got everything when they all died. Over half of the money was spent on reconstruction surgeries and plastic surgeries. To repair her damaged leg. The government covered most medical expenses due to the incident causing riots. The government didn't want another attempted takeover by the people because they were barely able to hold together after the last civil war in America. However, that happened ten years before she was born.
Anna, though, never bothered to pay attention to the rest of the world. As time passed, she got herself an apartment as many youths were released from the orphanages early. Too many were left without homes and families to care for them, so the orphanages struggled to even care for those they had. Anna didn't mind. She moved out as soon as she could. As she could barely tolerate those around her while there. So she didn't bother trying to pay attention to those few years of living surrounded by other kids. Most of that time was a blur of surgeries and staying by herself.
Here she is, another regular Psychological evaluation appointment, and still, all she wanted to do was avoid talking. Not saying that isn't what she did. Like any other day, as of late, she answered questions she had to respond to and then left. When she stepped outside, she looked at the tower. A small smolder of hatred burned in her chest. Maybe one day, she will find a place where she will never have to look at that tower again. When those thoughts rose in her mind, she saw streaks of black flowing from the tower.
"What the?" (Anna)
The waves of black moved quickly, making Anna take a step back. This time, pressure waves flowed past her as power went out around her. The lights of buildings turn off, the sound of electronics shutting down, and yells of panic fill the air.
"What is going on?" (Anna)
Anna quickly moved to her vehicle and turned the key, ready to drive farther from the tower.
Click
Turning the key again, all that came was.
Click
Anna sat there, her hands trembling with terror.
"What is going on?" (Anna)
Her voice broke as she kept trying and failing to start her vehicle before she jumped out with her bag, slinging it over her shoulder before she began to walk as fast as she could with her cane. Headed to her home. It was all she could do to hold back her fear.
"Hey Harold, what in the world is going on?" (older woman)
"Like I would know Hilary, just get inside. I have a bad feeling about this." (Elderly man)
Taking his advice, the older two went home and closed their door.
Anna still moved to her apartment, her legs shaking as she forced herself to move faster. But this time, another wave of pressure moved past Anna, making her stop in terror as she turned her head to look at the tower.
This time, there was another wave of black, but unlike the first one, it was like a swarm of insects flying out of the tower and swarming down to the city below the tower.
"That can't be." (Anna)
Anna picked up her pace, her home only a couple of blocks away, as she moved as fast as possible. Terror gripping her heart. The tower is miles away, so if she could see what seems like a swarm of insects flowing from the tower, then the creatures would probably be more significant than her or a house. She could not survive in the open if those creatures came here. People saw the change in the sky from the tower; many ran inside, barricading themselves in their homes. At the same time, others attempted to see if they could watch what was happening with morbid fascination.