CHAPTER 2: THE FERRIS WHEEL

Still coughing, she grabbed the front of her shirt and lifted up over her nose to block the cloud of dust and debris from getting into lungs. She was now running on the sidewalk, left hand clutching her shirt over her mouth and right hand still clasped and swinging with his as they made their way down the street. Car alarms were going off all around them like there had been some sonic boom and triggered the rows and rows of cars that were parked on the side of the street. There was still what seemed like a mob of people around them that only continued to grow. Crowded streets and lots of people was something that she was used to living in downtown Chicago but panicked, screaming people was something new. The air seemed to be a little clear than before and she saw a good place to rest. She pulled on his arm to signal his to come with her and elbowed some people in the process.

She wanted to make her way to the corner of a building so they wouldn't get trampled and she could ask him where exactly they were going. It seemed like minutes to make their way across the rows of people so they could make it to the otherside.

Once they got to the clearing and she could take a good look at him, she noticed that the dust had turned his dark hair white and had coated his eyelashes so that he had to squint when he was looking at her.

"Why are we stopping", he said.

"Because I don't know where we are going"

He nodded and said, "Follow me."

It was his turn to reach out his hand and unlike him, he didn't hesitate to take it. They made their way back into the crowded street and into the flow of people who were all headed away from the explosion. But instead of going with the current of people, he cut right through them. He went North while everyone was making their way West.

"Where are you going", she said.

"Trust me", he said.

She held on tighter to his hand as it was sweaty and slippery, not wanting to lose him in the crowd. It was more difficult to make their way through now. She would occasionally feel elbows and bodies slam into her and hear comments from scared people, calling her names that she wouldn't use on her worst enemy. She would accidentally step on toes and have hers stepped on.

Thank God I wore my tennis shoes.

Finally he stopped under a metal ferris wheel and began to climb.

"Wait, What?", She said. "What are you doing."

He paused to look down at her while he was mid climb.

"We have to get a better view of what happened so we have to get higher."

Now extremely thankful for her choice of shoes and the fact that she isn't afraid of heights, she tightened the straps on her backpack and wiped off her hands to ensure a good grip on the metal frame.

The metal was rough from the weather and the climb was steap. Each step she took, she made sure to grab on tight and that she had a good foothold. Each step she took the higher she got and the better she could see of the city. The ferris wheel they were climbing is placed right beside the water and the summer breeze felt more intense with each step she took. Now, not only does she had to worry about falling, she has to worry about the wind causing the fall. Her hair was wild and whipping her in the face making it difficult to see.

In attempt to get away from the stinging strands she made the mistake of looking straight down. She was at least thirty feet high and in that moment, her stomach sank all the way back down to the ground.

Oh.. this was a mistake... Big mistake... Huge mistake.

Just then she heard him yell down to her,

"How are you"

"Oh. Me? I'm fineee, just fine," she said as her knees began to shake.

"Okay, this is high enough anyway. We can stop here."

She looked to her left and saw smoke and ash rising from what used to be the Zoo.

"What the…the zoo? Someone blew up the zoo?", She said.

"Not necessarily. It looks like it was just part of the zoo and part of the highway in front of it. Probably to cause mass panic" He said.

Duh to cause panic, but why. I wonder if any of the animals got out. Lions and tigers and bears, Oh My!

She scrunched up her nose at that lame dad joke.

This is no time for jokes. This is serious business. Someone just blew up part of the city and we are waiting to see if they are going to blow up any more of it.

With that thought, she made her way back down to the ground, slowly and carefully. Once she set foot on the ground, she stepped back to make sure that he made it down safely.

"Welp. Now what", she said.

"Now.. we go somewhere safe to make sure this was the only attack."

She turned to walk in the direction of her apartment until she realized that she never caught his name.

She turned back to him and said, "By the way, my name is Lanney".

He cracked a smile, extended his hand and said, "Sam".

Sam.

She rolled that around in her mouth for a second, tasting his name on her tongue and then thinking about how he would taste. Then she snapped herself back into reality.

Unbelievable. Wow. Just Wow. Keep it in your pants for two seconds would ya? People are hurt! Some people probably died and what are you doing? Giving into your emotions, thinking about your love life. Get it together woman.

She turns suddenly and starts again, walking in the direction of her apartment.