Prologue

The ground shook violently, rocks as big as footballs were jumping across the surface like fleas. The landscape splintered like snapping wood and a cloud of dust roared across the open ground like a tsunami. "KEEP RUNNING!" shouted Bill as he dragged Jennifer by the arm trying not to glance back at the horror rolling in behind them. Like a stampede of wildebeest hundreds of them ran, stumbled, tripped, fell and crawled their way across the luscious green grass that was rapidly staining in ash behind them. The screams were harrowing, the cries were inaudible and time was slipping away fast. "WAIT!" hollowed Jennifer as her knees collapsed into the freshly made foot prints. Still holding her arm, Bill turned to see her grasping for breath. Jennifer pointed back and screeched out "ISABELLA!". Bill could see that Jennifer had lost her grip of Isabella and she had fallen to the ground about fifteen feet back. "MUMMY!" screamed Isabella as she tried to pick her self up off the floor only to be knocked straight back down again by others running blindly out of fear. Bill released Jennifers arm which collapsed like the demolition of a building, and started to sprint back towards Isabella. Dodging the on coming crowd like asteroids, Bill could see the wall of smoke almost towering over them like a skyscraper, it was going to hit them and he knew it. Bill leapt forward with both hands raised in front gripping Isabella’s shoulders and dragging her underneath him to the ground. As Bill and Isabella made impact the wave of dust crashed through them so fast it caused them to roll over several times. There was a moment of eerie silence and then Bill raised his head into pure darkness. His first breath felt like he had sucked in pure concrete through a straw and his lungs were filling up rapidly. He coughed and spluttered, but bent down covering Isabella’s head with his jacket, picked her up and began to move off at pace back towards Jennifer. Isabella was screaming and shaking, but this was good news for Bill, as at least he knew she was still alive. Bill ran with one arm stretched out into the blackness calling out in between coughing his guts up…"JENNIFER!".