made myself forget my bedroom as I turned and pushed my crooked door barely hanging on its hinge. I stared down the empty hallway toward the living room. It was as black as coal. The only evidence that my family existed in the darkness was the banging of the kitchen cabinets. I guess my parents decided we needed more food.

I tiptoed down the hallway and through the living room to my sister, who was standing at the front door. Her backpack was two times the size as she was. Her unbrushed brown hair was in her pale face. She looked like she had just seen a ghost. Her hair covered her beautiful brown eyes that would glow when the sunlight touched them. She tried to say something to me, but all I could hear was the siren getting louder. I hugged her close to me and kissed the top of her head.

“Don’t worry, everything is going to be all right Ambo.” I tried to smile, but was interrupted by another nearby explosion. The house shook and I felt Ambo hug me tighter. Being the older sibling, I had to make sure she was alright. I ruffled her hair to try and comfort her, and then turned to see my parents coming over. They had twice the amount of bags then they did last night and had taken all of the food they could carry.

My mother looked at me with her blue eyes, “Kiki, do you, um, have everything you need?” BOOM! Another explosion. The ground shook and we all heard several screams. We all looked at each other and made our prayers that whoever was involved in the explosion, would be alright.

I tried to ignore what we just heard. “Yes, I think so. When do we leave?” I asked already knowing the answer.

“After Papa has everything.” stated my dad in his deep voice.

I glanced around the one stove kitchen, but didn’t see him. I looked into the small living room expecting to see him coming with a load of things. But instead, all he had was a small pack half the size of mine with his food and clothes loosely inside. Oh, and also his special brown jacket. He would never go anywhere without it so as long as he lives.

“Is that all you are taking Papa?” I asked surprised.

“Yep.” He proudly said. “This is all I need. You ready?”

“Yes, let’s get to it. We are already late as it is.” said my mom with a shaky voice. “You all know what to do right? Avoid any explosions. Try not to be seen, for I fear that they are here and nearby. And try to make it as fast as you can to the river. We are going to take the route we came up with right?”