Mag-log in
My name is Flo, I am 23 years old living in central London, England. I have lived here all my life but with how the world is turning out I have been forced to make a decision whether to stay or leave. This was my home for a long time, but I have nothing left here, no friends I know family, Everything swept away within the space of a couple Months.
Let me start from the beginning. It is 2027 mid June. Our world has gone into crisis. Wars have been breaking out everywhere. Homes have been bombed, peoples lives lost. History, art, architecture, Everything that has been preserved and kept now lost in a cloud of smoke. This is World War III. The war started in neighbouring countries and distant countries, England thought they were safe But like every other country, they were dragged into the hellfire. It did not start out small, it started with a bang, and unfortunately, that bang started centre of London. I remember that night like it was yesterday, Everyone was slightly nervous of the ongoing war surrounding England, but we all felt like nothing would happen because nothing did happen, For awhile. You don't fully understand the pain people endure until you are enduring it yourself, and that is when regret is felt, You sympathise with others and you wish you had helped the ones in need when you could been there for them. But now it is too late to feel regret. Every country is in need, but there is very little help. About a year ago when it started in England, My family and friends were all also living in London. I have been living by myself in a flat my parents not too far away about a 15 minute drive, Many of my friends only down the road from me. I was in bed when it all started I heard a bang, In fact, I think I felt it before I heard it. Everything in my flat shook, Cracks appeared on the walls and the ceilings and dust scattered down onto the floor, Glass and windows shattered, There was a sudden heat that entered each and every room, A bright light shown through my windows and I had to cover my eyes. I had managed to get out of my bed properly and look down the street below, Almost all of the other buildings and houses had been bombed, A huge explosion, Wiping out everything and everyone I knew. There was the odd building still standing, I am extremely lucky to be living in one of those buildings. After that big bang there were many more through the evening. I was frozen stiff crouched peeping out of my window, Looking at the Sea of houses slowly being crushed, Pops of colour in red yellow And orange Scattered throughout accompanied with a deafening noise. I can't quite remember how But I had managed to doze off back into a deep sleep. When I woke the next morning, the air was thick with smoke, The view out my window was Vandalised. I Quickly grabbed my phone to try and call my parents, but there was no reception, No Wi-Fi, Powerlines blown up and everything down. I chucked on some clothes and fill the bag with necessities, then headed out of my flat. Most parked cars was scattered all over the road. Some had been flipped upside down, and we're still burning on fire. I ran down the street, My expression panicked, My breath quick and my face red. A loan car driving in between the road wreckage, A woman in her mid 40s. I started jumping up and down waving my hands about shouting for her to stop. "HEY! Please!OVER HEAR!" Her eyes darting left to right, She had finally noticed me and pulled up beside me. "Please help me, I need to get to my parents house, I need to see if they're ok" I begged her as my hands clasp onto the slightly lowered window of her car. " hop in and tell me the way" her gentle voice spoke, a slight crack in her voice indicating she also had been through hell and back. The ride was quick, but it felt like hours. The woman's hands tight on the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white, Her eyes wide and jaw clenched. My hands fiddling in my lap, My feet are rubbing against each other, My eyes darting everywhere and my heartbeat quickening. "Here, just hear, thank you so much, you don't know how much this means to me." I quickly said as I jump out the car. The woman didn't say anything, She only smiled lightly While trying to hold back tears due to the damage done on her own life. I raced down the road, Almost every house here had collapsed or been bombed. Each building I pass, My heart's race getting quicker and quicker, Praying that my parents were lucky enough to have their house still standing just as my flat was. Siren noises filled the air, ambulances rushing down every street, fires being put out. The screams of people I passed deafening, I tried so hard to stay focused and not look around at the damage caused but every now and then I would get a gruesome glimpse, something so haunting that it made me was to rip my eyes out. As I came into view of my parents house, my pace slowed as my heart grew heavy and my eyes filled with tears "no,no!" I started to run again, turning over every stone of their house, wailing as I screamed out their names. Nothing, no noise, no trace. The street over was filled with body bags, lined up neatly, people racing around hauling more and more body's into the line, family members and friends crying while collapsed onto the floor bedside loved ones, other trying to search the bags while police try to drag them away from the chaos. My hearing muffled, my head spinning and my body feeling weak. My vision blurred and I collapse, falling into a slumber of darkness.By the time morning had come, my mobile was full of missed calls and texts. I wrote a single message to Marcel saying “I am fine, do not worry about me” then put my phone in silent. There was a high possibility that once in France I would be hard pushed to find something to charge my phone and I needed the last bit of battery in order to keep in contact with Carlo. I had also remembered his number off by heart in case I had to call with another phone. I’m sure once Carlo was in the army training, there would be restrictions with phones so I just hoped that by the time I was in France, he still had something on him that I could contact him with. The day in the ferry went by very slowly and I ended up only sketching little images but instead wrote more, more about how I was feeling, what was happening and what might come. The feeling of solitude over came me once more, being alone, travelling to another unknown country and land, meeting possible new people and the uncertainty of sa
I head back to the hotel and sneak in as to not wake Marcel. Thankfully he’s still asleep. “Marcel, MARCEL” my whisper turns into a quiet shout as I nudge him, trying to wake him from his slumber. He gradually turns to open his eyes “everything ok there my dear?” He asks sleepily, “yes all good, just wondered if you’d like to do some site seeing. I’m feeling a bit cooped up” I try to sounds casual. Marcel doesn’t seem at all suspicious though and agrees that a bit of leg stretching and site seeing will do us both some good. “Where were you thinking to see first then” Marcel asks as he slides on some shoes, “how about we see Saint Augustin Basilica first so I can do some sketches of it then grab food and after we can take a walk by plage chapuis and see the sea?” I’d looked up all the places previously so I could make a plan of our evening. I needed to remember to get Marcel asleep by 10pm. We set off outside the hotel and make our way to Saint Augustin, taking our time to get
I drag myself out of the bed in a daze and head towards the kitchen to grab a glass of water. “You look like hell” Marcels voice comes out from behind me, “I didn’t sleep very well” I groan, “had any ideas for our next destination?” Marcel asks while preparing a cup of coffee, Id almost forgotten, I tell Marcel that I will have a look on the map and come back to him with an answer within the hour then I go back into my room and shut the door. I get my phone out and add Carlos number into it, I had quickly written it down the night before so to add it to my contacts, that way I wouldn’t have to sneak into Marcels phone, then I find Entrevennes on the map. The closest ferry from here to Entrevennes is from Annaba to Marseille, that would take me and Marcel roughly a 6 hour drive. “Got it!” I swing the door open and hop towards Marcel “Annaba, I want to go to Annaba!” My excitement maybe a little to evident, Marcel almost jumps back, “Annaba, well that quite a drive away, shall we d
Two days of being dragged around yet another city but this time I held no joy or excitement, neither did I feel the thrill of looking at clothes, eating new food or local artworks. Marcel tried his hardest the make me smile but I could see a lot of pain in his own face also, I bet he was worrying over his wife and Carlos as well as many friends that lived in Italy. "Flo, you choose our next destination, as long as it's safe that is" Marcel says to me on the second evening. "Let me have a think first and I will let you know in the morning" I say flapping my hand about like it was of no big deal and walking into my room where I fell flat on my face on my bed and groan into the pillow. That's when the idea struck me! I will wait until Marcel is in bed asleep then sneak into his room and take his phone, call Carlos and ask where he's at then tell Marcel a town with the closest ferry port to Carlos location and make my way over to him, Brilliant! It didn't take too long before
The drive wasn't too long. I hadn't asked Marcel where we were going I just simply went along with it. We reached a town and pulled up at a very fancy house, Marcel buzzed the gate and it opened. Once inside a man exits the house, smartly dressed, tall and blond, id say roughly in his late 30's. "Marcel!" He shouts across the court yard and opens his arms out wide, Marcel exits the car and embraced the man in a big hug. "It's been a while, thank you for helping an old man out" Marcel announces. "You are very welcome, I owe you one too many favos, this is the least I can do. And who pray tell is this beautiful woman accompanying you?" The man says as his eyes gaze towards my direction, "this is Flo, she has become a very close friend of mine" says Marcel holding his hand out for me to take. The man takes my other hand and kisses it tenderly with his eyes still looking up at me "she is also a very close friend to Carlo" Marcel points out with a slight smirk, "ahh I see, my apologies, we
I turn to face Carlo and place a gentle hand on his face, planting a sweet kiss on his cheek "thank you for today, I really enjoyed myself, and now I have something very special to remind me of you." I whisper beside his ear, he looked a little taken back by the kiss and I could have sworn I saw a slight tinge of red flush his cheeks which made me giggle a little. Before he could say anything I skipped off and joined Marcel, showing him my vase and being showered with praises and compliments. We walk into the lobby arm in arm, I glance back at Carlo standing outside giving me the sweetest of smiles as I walk away. That night me and Marcel sat on the sofa as I told him of my day. Marcel was very pleased I'd had a good time but said he would scold Carlo for ruining my dress and not taking me out of a proper date, still, I don't think it was a date, more of an occasion. Morning comes and once again I am awoken by the smell of fresh coffee wafting into my bedroom, the white linen duve







